Forgiveness
by Carrie88
Summary: Post AC & Changes. With Sephiroth gone, life returns to normal...until it's revealed Shinra never destroyed Sephiroth's body and he has escaped. With time against her, Tifa has to travel the road of forgiveness...and she's not sure she can make it.
1. Prologue: Sephiroth

Author's Note: Hello all! This is a sequel to my story "Changes". This is my first attempt to write a long-shot with Sephiroth as the main focus and the man is hard to capture in writing! So I should warn you that he may veer into OOC territory, therefore I apologize. I can only hope his OOC doesn't ruin anything for anyone. I should note this is post Advent Children and I am ignoring Dirge of Cerberus for this story because I haven't finished it! ;D Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

Forgiveness

Prologue: Sephiroth

The darkness enveloped him and surrounded him. The silence burned his ears, though he preferred the silence to the voices of Shinra's scientists. He had to admit that the scientists he had heard recently bared _no_ resemblance to that pathetic Hollander or that sadist, Hojo. He could almost believe they meant him no harm and that their intentions were to heal the crippled planet…almost. After all, they _did_ work for Shinra and that meant they all had their price and their true sadistic nature, though hidden, was still there.

He had listened to their chatter as they had prepared him for storage, as if he were an unwanted piece of furniture. And then Rufus Shinra had arrived with his favorite Turk lapdog, Tseng. If he had been able to, he would have destroyed his glass prison and happily strangled the young president. He meant to keep him around so his scientists could use him as they had once used Mother! Taking from him and keeping him alive enough to give them an unending supply of his cells. When he had heard Rufus assure Tseng that he was no longer a threat, he couldn't stop the smirk that had curled around his lips, scaring the young scientist in front of him. She seemed to be the only one smart enough to know that taunting an ex-General, a SOLDIER first class even in death was something _no one_ should go out of their way to do. Sephiroth decided he would reward her awareness of his power by killing her with very little pain when the time came.

Tseng also knew Rufus was making a big mistake, but like a good lapdog, he questioned nothing and allowed them to lock him up as he was now. His smirk widened into a malicious grin. Locking him up just meant he had time to plan his revenge…starting with Rufus Shinra. That would be as easy as it had been to kill his arrogant father! Though, he decided that he would enjoy it this time. He would stalk his prey, letting him know that he was being watched, but do nothing…until nightfall. Then he would show Rufus just what pain _really_ meant!

After Rufus, he could focus on the others. His heart sang with delight as he imagined the twisted things he could do to those who had stopped him. They would pay, that much was certain…though who to start with was the dilemma. Most of AVALANCHE would pose no problem to him, but the others…that would be difficult. He couldn't decide who he wanted to kill more: that insufferable man-child Cloud, his own remnant Loz, or Tifa. Normally Cloud would hold all of his attention, however the painful sting of Loz's betrayal of him was something that rivaled his utter hatred for Cloud. And then there was Tifa. She had never even registered on his radar as a serious threat…until he felt the bullet she had fired rip through his chest in the mountains surrounding Healen. That was something he had _not_ been expecting Even though she had been there to help pull Cloud back to reality in the Northern Crater, he viewed her as nothing more than a Cloud groupie, for lack of a better word. Ever ready to fight for her ideal hero and revenge for her dead father…even if it could mean her own death. She was an enigma to him; a puzzle he couldn't figure out. She had trembled in fear beneath him on the stairs inside the abandoned Nibelheim reactor, yet when he found her in Healen she confronted him…even holding her ground against him after he confirmed that he had been in his remnant's place in a moment of intimacy at the Shinra mansion. She always seemed to surprise him.

His remnant…it incensed him to know that something _he_ created from his own _being_ could betray him like that. He smirked, knowing it wasn't _all_ that traitor's fault entirely. The Lifestream and that damn interfering ancient had made him whole when he was returned to the planet. They had made it more difficult for Sephiroth to reach Loz by hiding his memories in a fog. Initially, he had been glad Loz was the remnant who had been returned. Kadaj was too unpredictable since he had inherited Sephiroth's own instability and Yazoo had been the recipient of his physical appearance and not much more, so he was too indifferent to be of much use to him, but Loz…he was his strength and his violent side, things he usually concealed. And since Loz was more for brute strength, he _should_ have been the easiest for him to control, but when he was resurrected as a whole being his childish instinct to just do as he was told was gone. Damn that ancient! He wished he could reach out and break her neck for what she had done! She made Loz a whole being and tried to shut out his ability to reach him! She convinced Cloud to start forgiving himself and made him less easy to manipulate! She was supposed to be out of his way in the Lifestream, but it seemed she was just as powerful dead as she was when she was alive!

Sephiroth calmed himself and reminded himself that he needed to focus on allowing his body to heal. It would only be a matter of time before Shinra grew impatient and began infusing him with mako again in order to restore the cells they would harvest to their normal levels so they could proceed with their experiments once more. And then…his smirk became a maniacal smile as he dreamed of the mayhem he would rain down upon the planet and his enemies!


	2. Chapter 1: Cloud

Author's Note: So here is the timeline for the first few chapters of this story. The prologue, chapter 1 and chapter 2 happen approximately 3 months after my first story, Changes. This chapter is a little insight into Cloud's life post Changes. Enjoy! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 1: Cloud**

Cloud walked into Seventh Heaven and smiled. It was another busy night and that was good for Tifa. The more money she made, the more she could save to further Denzel's education later. Barret was already saving for Marlene, but Cloud and Tifa had a lot of catch up work to do for Denzel. Plus Loz was even chipping in.

He caught Tifa's eye and she smiled at him as he approached the bar.

"The kids are waiting for you," she said with a smile.

"I'm just going to quickly review my books and I'll be there shortly," Cloud said. "I hope they weren't too much trouble."

"Oh, you know them," Tifa said with a smile. "Fridays Loz works late so they know that means you're coming over to hang out. I swear they only ate sugar to maintain their energy!"

Cloud smirked. "That's what you get for letting that no good ex-Turk hang around while you're preparing to open the bar."  
"Well, that 'no-good ex-Turk' is upstairs entertaining the kids," Tifa said dryly. "Play nice with him."

Cloud headed for the stairs. "I'm not making any promises."

He entered his office and decided the books could wait until the next day. He was exhausted and needed a pick-me-up that only Denzel and Marlene could provide. He dumped his invoices on his desk and left the office before locking it. He bounded up the remaining stairs, taking two at a time, eager to see the kids. It was nice to live on his own, but he missed seeing the kids everyday…so much so that he found himself asking why he had insisted on being away from them so often before.

He heard the kids laughing and Reno's voice coming from the living room. He looked around the corner and smiled slightly. Reno was on the floor beside Denzel playing a video game while Marlene sat behind him on the couch styling his hair.

"Reno, this would be more fun if your hair wasn't short on top and long at the bottom!" Marlene sighed.

He smirked and leaned his head back so he was looking at her upside down. "You know, I never thought a kid would be braiding it and twisting it and doing whatever else you do to it, so it's never been an issue."

Marlene laughed as he lifted his head. "Do you ever think of cutting off the long bit?"

"What? No way," Reno said as he scrunched his nose while he focused on trying to pummel Denzel's character. "It's kinda my thing, ya know?"

"He means it's his security blanket," Cloud said dryly as he entered the room.

"Just like your emo attitude is _your_ security blanket, Chocobo head," Reno returned dryly without taking his eyes from the game. He groaned when Denzel paused the game so he could run over to Cloud. "Aw man! I was just about to kick you're a-I mean, butt!"

"It's a good think you caught yourself before damaging us with your curse words," Marlene said dryly. "Like we never hear you curse!"

"When did you get so mouthy?" Reno asked with smirk.

"Since you started hanging around more often," she answered sweetly before jumping off the couch to hug Cloud.

Reno pushed himself to his feet and laughed. "Man, I love these kids! But since you're back, yo, I have a tall frosty beer with my name on it waiting for me downstairs."

"Enjoy," Cloud said as he took his place on the floor beside Denzel and resumed their game.

After a few hours of video games and coloring, Cloud ushered the kids to bed. They were both chatting and teasing each other as they went through the pre-bed routine. The way the were with each other reminded him of how he and Tifa had been as young kids. He smiled as he pulled their beds down and again found himself wondering how he could ever allow himself to sink so far into his own depression that he would pass up the opportunity to do the nightly tuck-in routine with them.

Both kids bounded into the room and hurried into their beds before waiting for Cloud to cover them with the blankets. Once they were both in their beds, he sat on Denzel's bed and smiled at each of them before telling them to give him the highlights of their week. Marlene went first and as usual, her week was full of excellent marks, 'drama' with her friends, and the excitement of shopping with Tifa the next day.

Denzel went next and his week centered on the sports teams he joined at school, along with all the new friends he was making, as well as outlining what he wanted to do with Cloud the following day. And Cloud went last as was the custom. He told them about the places he had delivered to, the people he had met during his travels, and any updates from their friends when he occasionally encountered them.

Tonight, though, Cloud had another question for the kids. He knew they were still getting used to Loz living with them while Cloud didn't and he just wanted to make sure they were happy.

"So, how do you like having Loz here?" Cloud asked.

Marlene smiled. "He's a lot of fun, Cloud."

"Marlene," Denzel said nervously.

"What? Cloud won't mind!" Marlene insisted as she rolled her eyes. "Denzel's worried you'll be mad if we like spending time with him."

Cloud nodded before looking at Denzel, who was blushing. "Hey, it's okay, Denzel. If you like spending time with Loz, that's great! He's around more than I am sometimes, so I understand."

Denzel looked up at Cloud and frowned. "But when you first moved out and Loz moved in, you guys fought a lot."

Cloud nodded. "We did because we didn't know how we fit in with you two or Tifa or even with each other. But he wants to be here and so do I, so we make sure we both do things with you two."

"Basically, they learned to share," Marlene teased.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Basically. Loz is probably downstairs right now, but we agreed that Friday is my night with you guys and Saturday is my day with Denzel and your day with Tifa. It's okay to like all of us. You'll never have to choose."

Denzel smiled and nodded. "Okay Cloud." He was silent for a moment before poking Cloud with his toe. "Um, Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

"I do like Loz and he's like a big brother," he said quietly. "But…you'll always be like my…dad."

Cloud smiled slightly and squeezed his ankle through the blankets. "Thanks for being patient with me Denzel and still wanting me in your life like that."

Denzel sat up and hugged Cloud tightly. "I'll always want you in my life, Cloud, no matter what!"

Marlene got out of her bed and hugged both of them. "I love you guys too!"

Cloud laughed softly as he hugged each of the children. "I'll never leave you two again. I promise."

* * *

Tifa laughed as Reno did his impression of Vincent lecturing him. "You know, if he ever catches you doing that, you'll be a _dead_ ex-Turk!"

Reno laughed and took another sip of his beer. "Whatever. Big Red needs to loosen up!"

Loz smiled and shook his head. "And one of these days you'll call him that one too many times, too."

"He needs to deal, yo!" Reno said dismissively. "I have nicknames for everyone! Cloud is Chocobo head, Tifa is babe, obviously, you're Sideburns, Yuffie is Pain in the Ass, Marlene is Munchkin, Denzel is Little Man, and Vincent will _always_ be Big Red!"

"Hey man, it's your funeral," Loz said with smirk as he took a sip of his beer. "Literally."

Tifa looked up and smiled when Cloud came down the stairs. "You were longer than normal."

"We were having deep discussions about the latest fashion trends for ladies under ten years of age," Cloud said with a smirk as he took the beer Tifa offered him before moving to the lock the door to the bar.

"How stimulating," Tifa said with a smile.

"And we had quite the conversation about Loz and I learning to share," Cloud said as he looked at Loz. "The kids really like you and they were worried our…disagreements meant they couldn't like both of us."  
Loz nodded. "They've been hinting around about that lately to me too."

"And you're not going to have anymore of those kinds of 'disagreements' anymore, are you?" Tifa asked warningly.

"No ma'am," Cloud said with a smirk.

"Absolutely not," Loz promised.

"Man, you two are friggin' whipped!" Reno said with a chuckle.

Tifa raised her eyebrows and looked at Reno. "Excuse me?"

Reno straightened slightly. "Um, nothing Tifa."

"Huh. That's better," she said with smile.

"Now who's whipped?" Loz muttered with a smirk while Cloud snickered.

They all looked at each other before laughing. Tifa washed the glasses once the men had finished their drinks while they began putting the chairs on the tables and sweeping the floor.

Once the bar was again presentable, Cloud and Reno prepared to leave for the night. Cloud hugged Tifa and kissed her on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Tifa," he said. "I'll pick Denzel up around nine-thirty."

She smiled and nodded. "He'll be ready. Have a good night Reno."

"You too, babe!" he called as he opened the door. "Later Sideburns!"

"Later!" Loz called back. "Bye Cloud."

"See you tomorrow, Loz," he said as he followed Reno out of the bar.

"Drive careful guys!" Tifa called.

Reno and Cloud smirked at each other before turning and simultaneously answering, "We will, mom!"

"You guys are jerks!" Tifa said with a smile as she closed the door and locked it behind them.

Cloud and Reno both chuckled before Reno raised a cigarette to his lips and lit the tip.

"So, you and Loz have stopped fighting for alpha male status, huh?" Reno asked with a smile.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Only after Tifa pointed out that we were being idiots. I know I used to put my self on the outside looking in, but it was weird to be looking in and see a replacement for me."

"Sounds pretty rough," Reno agreed. "I'm sure him being a part of Sephiroth didn't help."

Cloud grimaced slightly. "Yeah. I kept seeing _him_."

"It's the eyes, yo," Reno said with a shudder. "Creepy man!"

"But he's nothing like him," Cloud said firmly. "He's not even like he was when he and his brothers first showed up."

"Yeah, his vocabulary expanded!" Reno said dryly.

Cloud settled on Fenrir and thought for a moment. "I never want to be the man I was a few months ago. I never want to be a man as easily manipulated as a puppet."

"You never will be," Reno said assured him. "None of us will be the same again."

Cloud nodded before shaking his head. "It's weird to live in a world free of Sephiroth."

"You got that right," Reno agreed. "But it's a good kind of weird."

Cloud smiled slightly. "Yeah, it is. See you around, Turk."

Reno laughed as he opened his car door. "That's _ex_-Turk, Chocobo head. And yeah, you'll see me around."

Cloud nodded before speeding off into the night.


	3. Chapter 2: Loz

Author's Note: As I mentioned in the last chapter, this chapter as well follows the events of Changes by a few months. If you haven't read Changes and don't feel like reading it, I'll just let you know that Loz returned from the Lifestream and helped Cloud and the others defeat Sephiroth, while falling in love with Tifa and Tifa fell in love with him. That's basically what happened in Changes. I would recommend at least reading some of the Sephiroth-centric chapters because it will give you an idea of how I write him. Anyway, enough of my babbling...enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 3**

Loz stirred slightly when he felt a pair of small hands gently shake him. He yawned and cracked one eye open slightly, finding Marlene smiling at him.

"Tifa told me to wake you up," she said before quickly reaching out and tickling him around his neck.

He was drawn out of his sleep immediately and couldn't stop laughing as her fingers danced along his neck before she crawled up onto the bed and pulled the sheets back so she could attack his ribs.

"Hey! No fair!" he cried between laughs. "I'm half asleep!"

"Too bad!" she said with a smirk as she continued to torment him.

Loz smirked as he twisted away. "You're gonna regret not showing me mercy, kid!" He swept her up in his arms and cradled her against chest before tickling her. She giggled and twisted before raising her hands.

"Okay! I surrender! I surrender!" she called out happily.

He laughed as he set her down on the bed beside him. "Are you _always_ gonna wake me up like this?"

She sighed and nodded. "Uh-huh! Tifa says breakfast is ready," she said as she hopped off the bed.

Loz perked up and pushed himself to his feet before following Marlene downstairs to the kitchen. He yawned as he made his way over to the table and dropped into the chair between Marlene and Denzel. Denzel looked up and smiled at him.

"Morning Loz!" he said cheerfully.

"Morning," he answered back. "You looking forward to seeing Cloud today?"

"Yeah," Denzel said with a smile. "Cloud said you did some work on Fenrir and he wants to take it for a long ride to see how it runs. Then we're gonna play video games and eat junk food."

"Sounds like fun," Loz said before smiling at Tifa as she placed his plate in front of him. "Morning Tifa."

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Morning, Loz."

Cloud opened the back door and entered the kitchen. "Morning everyone."

Everyone greeted him as well before Tifa handed him a mug of coffee and winked at him.

"You're going to need this," she said quietly. "Denzel is _full_ of energy today."

Cloud smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Teef. Morning, Loz."

"Morning, Cloud," Loz said as he nodded his acknowledgement. "Denzel said you wanted to take Fenrir out and check out those modifications I made."

"Yeah," Cloud said as he leaned against the counter and sipped his coffee. "I really want to open her up and see what she can do now. Any suggestions as to where to ride?"

Loz leaned back and thought for a moment. "Probably the Wastelands. There's nobody out there so you can go as fast as you like."

"Um, excuse me, but _not_ when Denzel's on the back of that thing," Tifa said as she made a face.

"When did you get so un-fun?" Cloud teased as he nudged her in the side with his elbow. "I seem to remember a certain girl in this room who used to _love_ it when I would drive like a maniac just so she could hold on tight and enjoy the feeling of the wind rushing by!"

Loz watched Tifa blush and could feel the jealousy surging up in his belly. He understood that Cloud and Tifa would always share a past, but he had an easy familiarity with her that Loz envied. Cloud knew everything about Tifa and she knew everything about him. It tickled the back of his memory that he knew a certain amount about both of them…and none of it was good because they were Sephiroth's memories.

"Loz? You okay?" Tifa's voice cut across his thoughts.

He looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going into the shop for a while, so I'm just going to shower and get dressed." He got to his feet and managed an easy smile at Denzel. "Have a good time with Cloud and I want an honest opinion about the bike's performance, okay?"

Denzel smiled and nodded. "You got it, Loz. Come on Cloud! I'm ready to go."  
Cloud smiled as he finished the rest of his coffee. "Okay." He leaned over and put his cup in the sink before kissing Tifa on the cheek. "I'll call you when we get back. See you later Marlene. Loz, maybe we'll drop by the shop later and let you know the verdict of the upgrades."

Loz nodded. "Sure."

* * *

Loz was buckling his pants when Tifa appeared in the bedroom. She watched him belt his pants roughly, as though they had offended him in some way.

"Loz, are you okay?" she asked as she shut the door.

"Yeah," he said before opening the closet and pulling out a plain black t-shirt.

She watched him pull it over his head before sitting on the bed. "One word responses mean you're upset. Tell me what's bothering you."

He sighed and turned to face her. "I'll never know you like Cloud does and it's stupid that it bothers me."

Tifa smiled and shook her head. "It's not stupid, Loz. It's all a part of learning to fit in with each other. You're very impatient for everything to even out and I'm happy that you want everyone to get along, but you can't rush this. It's going to take some time to get used to everything and that's okay. Sure, you don't know my past like Cloud does, but he doesn't know me like _you_ know me either."

Loz nodded. "I'm sorry this bugs me."

Tifa got to her feet and quickly embraced her gentle giant. "You don't have to be sorry. Just give yourself a break. You're new to this independent living and it's a bumpy ride, but I'm here for you."

Loz finally smiled and pulled back. "Okay. Are you going to be gone all day?"

"We should be home by supper," Tifa said with smile. "We're picking up pizza. Don't work too hard."

Loz snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm sure I'll get roped into doing estimates all day and that's not too hard."

"Good. And don't worry about my past with Cloud, Loz," Tifa said as she opened the door. "You have my future and that's more exciting!"

* * *

Loz decided to walk to work since it was a mild day. He walked out of the alley leading to Seventh Heaven's back entrance and started walking down the street. As he walked, he got the odd stare or even a glare or two, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been right after his return. He received less hateful glares and more friendly greetings on the street. Most of the neighbors knew him from the amount of time he spent hanging around the bar when Tifa was open. A few of the women knew him from picking Denzel up after he was done with football practice.

He had a feeling a major shift in attitude around him was largely due to Tifa telling off anyone she caught bad-mouthing him, which made him smirk slightly. She was a little spitfire and she was not gonna take any crap from anyone…even if that meant losing some patrons.

_I don't want their money if their going to jerks to you_, she had said.

He smiled as he pushed the door to Axel's open. Jake looked up and smiled in relief. That meant it _was_ going to be a day of estimates!

"Loz am I glad to see you!" Jake said. "The WRO wants to improve their inventory of motorcycles and they want to discuss options. Reeve Tuesti _himself_ is here! He mentioned you and said Tifa had told him about the overhaul you had done on her bike and he was interested in only having your opinion. He's in the back office."

Loz nodded as he took his sunglasses off, not feeling nearly as flustered as Jake apparently did. "I'll go talk to him."

He opened the door of the shop and crossed the garage before opening the door to the office where Reeve was waiting. Loz went around the desk and sat in the chair, looking at the man he had heard Cloud and Tifa talking about, but had yet to meet. Reeve smiled and reached out a hand.

"You must be Loz," he said as they shook hands. "Tifa has said a lot about you. You've met Yuffie before, right?"

Loz nodded surprised he hadn't noticed her until Reeve mentioned her name. "Hi Yuffie."

She smiled, but she was clearly nervous. Of all of Cloud and Tifa's friends, she was still unsure of him the most.

"Hey, Sideburns," she said before blushing immediately. "Sorry."

Loz smirked. "It's okay. I don't think Reno ever calls me anything other than Sideburns so I'm used to it." He turned his gaze to Reeve. "So what do you want done?"

"Well, our company bikes are old," he said. "I had been looking into scrapping them and just buying a whole new fleet, but when Tifa told me about the work you had done to her old bike, I thought it may end up being cheaper to upgrade them instead of buying a brand new fleet."

"Depends on how much work they need," Loz said with a shrug. "Did you bring one with you?"

He nodded. "We did. Jake parked it in your workspace. We can go look at it now, if that's okay."

Loz got to his feet and opened the door for them. "Sure." He followed them to where a bike stood. He narrowed his eyes as he knelt beside the machine, touching the fenders and checking out the various gauges. "The body seems really good still. A paint job and rust repairs would make them look as good as new. If you have time, I can pull the engine out and look at the insides."

"That would be most appreciated, Loz," Reeve said with a smile. He was about to say more when his cell phone rang. "I just have to take this. Please excuse me."

Loz nodded as he got to his feet and moved over to his workbench. He picked up his tools and again knelt beside the bike before setting about removing the engine cover. He was conscious of Yuffie staring at him, but he decided to let her start any conversation they may have. She said nothing, apparently happy to just watch his movements. They stayed silent until Reeve stepped closer.

"Yuffie, I have to go back to the office," he said with a frown. "Apparently Aki lost a report and we need it for a meeting with Rufus later today. Can you wait here until Loz is done?"

"Sure thing, boss," she said with a smile.

"Thank you Yuffie," Reeve said before looking down at Loz. "Feel free to strip it down as far as you need to and when you have an estimate, just give it Yuffie and she can bring it back to me."

"Sure," Loz said with a shrug. "I won't be too long."

"I really do appreciate you looking at this for me," Reeve said before leaving the shop.

"So, are you just going to stare at me or what?" Loz asked as he shone a light onto the other components of the bike.

"Yuffie shrugged. "I don't know what to say to you."

"Say anything," he said.

"You scare me," she blurted out.

He frowned and looked up at her. "I scare you?"

"Listen, I know you're a whole guy now and everything, but sometimes…" she trailed off slightly.

"I look like Sephiroth," Loz sighed. He stopped moving and sat up to look at her. "If it makes you feel any better, sometimes when I look in the mirror, I can see him too. It's like my face is a mask and his eyes just shine through. He scares me too, even though he's dead."

Yuffie lowered herself to the floor and faced him. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he said with a shrug.

"You and your brothers were all part of Sephiroth," she began. "What part were you?"

"I would say I got most of his strength," Loz said after a moment. "We were all strong and inherited his ability to fight, but I got the bulk of his raw power."

Yuffie nodded. "We used to call Sephiroth the Demon of Wutai after the war. He killed many of my people and Shinra was known to torture their prisoners of war. I never heard of Sephiroth torturing anyone, but he just struck down our warriors without a thought or even a flinch! Only a demon without a heart could cut people down the way he did without any qualms."

Loz slowly nodded. "I remember him being inside my head. He held nothing but hatred and contempt for everyone. It was scary how little he thought of anyone other than himself. Before, I probably wouldn't have noticed or even cared, but now that I am more than just a remnant of him, I can see what everyone else saw and I still wonder how Tifa could ever see anything more than the destructive force I was when we first met."

Yuffie watched him and nodded. "Me too."

He was caught off guard by her bluntly honest opinion, but eventually he chuckled. "I like your honesty, Yuffie. Can I tell you something?"

She was still blushing from her raw comment, but nodded. "Sure."

"I'm not the guy I was when I first came here," he said quietly. "Mother is a distant memory and even though Sephiroth created me, I'm not him."

Yuffie searched the familiar, yet unfamiliar eyes of the former remnant and nodded slowly. "Yeah…you're _not_ Sephiroth because I think you have a heart."

Yuffie stayed with Loz until he had finished his estimate. She went over the numbers and nodded.

"So, to overhaul our current fleet of bikes, it would cost a little more than reordering a whole new fleet?" she asked.

Loz nodded as he wiped the grease from his hands. "Yeah, but, but I included a few extras that I can add on top of just putting newer stuff in. For that price, I can get you everything that comes on the top of the line bike out there. If you were to buy a fleet of vehicles that came with the options I listed there, it would cost thirty percent more than my estimate, at least."

"Whoa," Yuffie murmured. "Did you include an estimate just for the upgrades without the awesome extras?"

Loz nodded. "Yeah, it on the second page."

"Yuffie!"

They both turned and smiled when Denzel ran over to them. Yuffie smiled and hugged Denzel.

"Hey little man!" she said. "What's up?"

"Cloud and I just got back from taking Fenrir out," he said before turning his eyes to Loz. "Whatever you did was awesome! We went so fast, but don't tell Tifa!"

Loz snorted and nodded. "You got it."

Cloud appeared and smiled. "Loz, whatever you did to my engine was pure genius! It runs smoothly and the acceleration is fantastic."

"I'm glad you like it," Loz said. "Are you guys gonna be home for dinner or you out for a junk food binge tonight?"

"I'm going to feed him nothing but candy and return the hyperactive kid late so have fun with that!" Cloud said dryly.

"Just so long as you're ready for Tifa to show up at three in the morning and punch you in the face," Loz said with a smirk.

"Come on Denzel," Cloud said as he touched the boy's shoulder. "We have to pick up dinner. Thanks again Loz."

"No problem," he answered.

"See you later, Loz!" Denzel called as he happily followed Cloud. "Bye Yuffie!"

"Later guys!" she called as she waved at them. She turned and looked at Loz. "So you and Chocobo head are getting along now?"

"Yeah," Loz answered. "I still don't like it when he kisses Tifa or hugs her, but I'll get over it."

Yuffie smiled. "No need to be jealous, man. I've seen how Tifa looks at you and you can tell she loves you, no question about it!"

He smiled slightly. "That makes me feel better."

"Well, I better get these estimates back to Reeve," Yuffie said with a smile. "Thanks for talking with me, Sideburns!"

He smiled and nodded. "Anytime…as long as you promise not to be so scared of me."

She laughed softly. "Okay, I promise! Later!"

"Bye," he said as he watched her leave.

* * *

Loz was later getting home than he thought he would be so Tifa was already preparing the bar to open. She smiled when he walked.

"Hey," she said as she leaned up to kiss him before pulling the chairs down from the tables. "Marlene and I ate, but we left you some pizza. It's keeping warm in the oven for you."

"Thanks," he said as he began taking chairs down as well. "Sorry I'm so late. Do you need me to grab any liquor from the basement?"

"No, thanks," she said as she turned on the open sign. "I did that already. Marlene has a full night of crafts, coloring, and reading planned for you, so you better eat your pizza!"

Loz smirked. "Just so long as I don't have to play 'Barbie' with her, I don't care what we're doing!"

"Oh, but you make Ken so dreamy!" Tifa teased with a smile.

He snorted as he went into the kitchen and retrieved his pizza before jogging up the stairs and entering the living room. Marlene was watching television while coloring at the same time. She looked up and smiled when he entered the room.

"Loz! You're finally home!" she said as she got to her feet and hugged his leg. She looked up at him and made a face. "You smell like motorbikes!"

He smirked and dropped onto the sofa. "I know. I'm gonna eat my dinner and grab a quick shower. Then, I am all yours, kid."

Once he had eaten and had showered, he joined Marlene in the living room. She was just putting her craft supplies away and retrieving a new coloring book. She turned and smiled up at him.

"I know grown men don't like coloring, especially princesses and ponies," she said with a smile before handing him the new book. "So Tifa and I bought this for you. It's cars and motorbikes and other boy stuff. That way coloring is less boring for you!"

Loz smiled and hugged the small girl. "Thanks for thinking of me, Marlene."

It was things like that that made the daily irritation in his life melt away. Even on days when he was overcome with jealousy of Cloud, irritation at the remaining hatred people felt for him, or even just the loneliness he felt without his brothers, Marlene always seemed to make him feel…normal. And she made him feel wanted and loved.

They colored for an hour before it was time for Marlene to get ready for bed. She was in the bathroom brushing her teeth when the phone rang. Loz walked into Cloud's old room and picked up the phone.

"Hey Loz, it's Cloud."

"What's up?" Loz asked.

"My plan to keep Denzel hyped up on sugar for you and Tifa failed miserably," he said dryly. "The kid is passed out, so I'm just going to let him sleep here tonight."

"Sure, I'll let Tifa know," Loz said with a shrug.

"Thanks," Cloud said. "Listen, I really appreciate the work you did on Fenrir. It runs better than it ever has and given all our…problems with each other, I just wanted to let you know I'm glad you're still willing to work on my bike."

Loz smiled. This was as touchy-feely they would ever get. Maybe this was a sign that the tension would begin to ease. "No problem Cloud. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you," he answered before hanging up.

Loz walked out of the room and back to the children's room where Marlene was waiting patiently.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked.

"Cloud," Loz answered. "Denzel fell asleep at his place so he's gonna spend the night there."

Marlene nodded and handed him the book she had picked out. It was a fairytale where an evil prince fell in love with a princess and wanted to make her his queen. The princess agreed to marry the prince to save her people, but was sad. The evil prince found himself wanting to be better and change so that his princess would be happy again. As Loz read the story, he could draw parallels between the story and how he had felt about Tifa. In the end, the prince changed his ways and the princess fell in love with him.

He set the book on the table and Marlene yawned sleepily. She look up at him and frowned slightly.

"Loz, why do bad guys want to have the princesses to themselves?" she asked.

"Maybe because the princesses have a light that the bad guys want to have too," he suggested as he extinguished the bright lights in exchange for the two smaller nightlights.

"Is that what you felt when you first fought Tifa?" she asked.

He sat on the bed and shrugged. "I guess. I was confused back then and focused all on mother. But in the back of my mind, I knew she was pretty and I wanted to see her again…maybe even keep her, if mother allowed it."  
"You're like the evil prince," Marlene said. "You were bad and then you changed. Now Tifa loves you. Do you love her?"

Loz smiled and nodded. "I do love her."

Marlene smiled and yawned before closing her eyes. "I'm glad you do. Good night, Loz."

"Good night, Marlene," he said as he got to his feet and closed the door behind him. He thought about what Marlene had said and smiled again. Yes, Cloud and he still had to figure out how to live with each other; yes some of the citizens of Edge hated him still and yes, he would _always_ be a part of Sephiroth, but Marlene was right. He had changed and Tifa did love him, just like he loved her. He was now part of a family again and it felt great. Now he never had to feel alone again.


	4. Chapter 3: Specimen 001

Author's Note: Okay, this is the last mention of timeline and previous plot points, I promise. I wrote a Christmas story called The Remnant's First Christmas that took place a year after Changes and the rest of this story comes a year after the Christmas story. Things you need to know about from the Christmas story are minor, but Loz & Cloud get along much better and Yuffie and Vincent are in a relationship...plus Vincent received a kitten as a present, so when he appears in this fic and he has a cat, that's where it came from. Again, you don't _need_ to read that story, but it is kinda funny, if I do say so myself! ;) Enjoy! Opinions and constructive criticisms/suggestions are always welcome...unnecessarily harsh flames will be given to Sephiroth so he can burn down another town! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 3: Specimen 001**

**TWO YEARS LATER**

Rufus Shinra looked at the report from the science team and frowned before looking up at Professor Benjamin Howarth. "We're not seeing much of a result."

Professor Howarth shifted slightly. "Sir, research…_real_ research takes years. What you ask for is impossible."

"Not if you take the steps your colleague, Professor Xander, is suggesting," Rufus said.

Professor Howarth glared at the other scientist in the meeting before meeting Rufus' hardened stare. "With all due respect, Mr. President, I told you in the very beginning that under no circumstances would I alter any samples taken from the specimen because it would be suicide to introduce mako into his stasis field. We don't know how much mako it would take to revive him and if we do revive him…well, to be honest, the planet will be destroyed."

"The failed experiment, Cloud Strife, and Sephiroth's remnant are still alive," Professor Xander said carelessly. "They would be enlisted to put an end to anything the specimen managed to accomplish."

"Do you actually do any research, Alex?" Professor Howarth asked. "Cloud and the remnant needed large doses of the SOLDIER mako protocol to gain the ability to beat Sephiroth. It is highly unlikely that their bodies would be able to handle another treatment."

"You're assuming they would need another treatment," Rufus said. "When they fought Sephiroth the last time, they had both been injured severely. It is extremely unlikely that they would need a mako enhancement. Besides, sacrifices must be made for our planet."

Professor Howarth looked at Rufus, horrified by his last statement. "Excuse me, but for the good of the planet, the only person who should be sacrificed is Sephiroth."  
Professor Xander smirked as his eyes moved between an outraged colleague and a belligerent president. _I won't even need to push the poor bastard out of the project! He's practically inviting Shinra to fire him,_ he thought to himself.

"Are you finished, Professor?" Rufus asked coldly. "I think you are getting too emotionally involved with this project. Therefore, I am handing control over to Professor Xander. Please make sure he has all your notes, Howarth. Now, is that all?"

Professor Howarth straightened proudly. "Yes, President Shinra. I will gather my notes and see to it that Alex is brought up to speed on our research thus far."

Mariana was waiting for him as he left the office. "What happened?"

"I'm out, Mariana," Professor Howarth lamented. "For all his claims that he is different from his father, Rufus is just as arrogant."

"What happens now?" she asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"I'm supposed to hand all my research data and materials over to that insufferable Alex Xander!"

"Professor Xander was put in charge?" she asked in disbelief. "But he'll introduce mako in to the stasis field."

"I know," Howarth said. "But I'll be damned if I am going to let him have everything."

Mariana followed him out of the elevator, intent on asking him what he meant, but stopped in surprise when they entered Howarth's office. "What's going on here?"

Tseng turned and faced them, a neutral look on his face. "President Shinra asked me to make sure _all_ your research was given to Professor Xander.

Professor Howarth clenched his jaw and nodded. "I expected as much. I assume I'll be starting a vacation soon as well, is that right?"

Tseng nodded. "The president thought it might be best for you to take some time off away from all your research here."

"So, where am I 'vacationing'?" he asked with a bitter smile.

"Gongaga," Tseng said without missing a beat. "It will be a working holiday, I'm afraid. Soil samples are being collected from test growing operations and they need someone with your expertise."

"My expertise," the professor repeated slowly before laughing with a slight hysterical lilt. He stepped closer to Tseng as the lab assistants left with his research. "Tseng, you _know_ this is not only bullshit, but it's _dangerous_ bullshit! If that no good hack of a scientist introduces mako into Sephiroth's tube, it's almost certain he will revive and wreak havoc upon this planet once more. And you said so yourself that when he comes back, he's going after Rufus! As his Turk, aren't you obligated to protect his life?"  
"I will protect his life with my own in a heartbeat, Professor," Tseng said without a second thought.

"Why wait until it's almost too late?" the professor demanded.

"Because the president will do as he wants," Tseng said with a shrug. "He would send me on 'vacation' too if he thought I was questioning him and then he truly would be vulnerable. By staying quiet on this subject as long as possible, I extend his life."

"Professor Xander will lie to the president's face to see his goal realized, Tseng," Professor Howarth said.

"That's I why I convinced the president to appoint Dr. Cross as the second lead on this project," Tseng said as he looked at Mariana. "President Shinra has advised me to inform you that you are to monitor Professor Xander's actions at all times and report any suspicious or unreported actions in Project Rebirth."

Mariana nodded. "I will take this position very seriously, Director Tseng."

He inclined his head slightly. "Good. Now, report to Professor Xander in lab three. I believe he wants to look at the specimen."

She shuddered slightly and nodded before looking at Professor Howarth reluctantly. "It was a pleasure working with you, Professor."

"The pleasure was all mine, I assure you," he said with a smile as he watched her leave. Once they were alone, he turned to Tseng. "Rufus is just plain arrogant in his assumption that Strife or the remnant will be able to handle another series of mako treatments and even if they don't need them, Sephiroth's bad luck will end eventually and then we're all in trouble."

Tseng sighed and nodded. "I will work on changing the president's mind, but he is a Shinra and they are stubborn. Elena is waiting for you in the lobby, Professor. She will escort you to Gongaga."

"Some vacation," Professor Howarth said as he turned and left the room, followed by Tseng.

* * *

Professor Xander looked up when Mariana entered the room. "Ah, Dr. Cross! I'm glad you made it. Tell me, did Benjamin hold any material back?"

Mariana narrowed her eyes. "No, Professor Xander. Director Tseng made sure everything was collected. He also said you wanted to see the specimen, is that right?"

He smirked and nodded. "Most definitely. Bring the scanners and electronic data recorders. I need fresh reading so that I may begin the calculations for the amount of mako needed for the harvested cells to be viable."

"Yes sir," she said as she gathered the items and reluctantly followed him out of the lab. "Are you sure the mako needs to be introduced with the specimen? Can't we just add it to the harvested cells?"

Xander shook his head as they stepped into the elevator that would take them to the lowest levels of the new Shinra building. "If we add them after, it may give false readings. In some of my early tests, post-harvest addition of mako actually caused the cells to degrade. I know you were close with Benjamin, but believe me when I say I really believe that to truly understand how Sephiroth's body and cells work, we must see them as they were…infused with mako."

"Professor I understand your position, but you have to understand something as well," she said as the doors opened and they stepped out into the warehouse. "Sephiroth is technically not dead. He is in stasis, similar to being in a coma. If you make the _slightest_ miscalculation and infuse too much mako into the stasis field, you could bring him out of his coma and we'll all be killed."

"I _don't_ make miscalculations, Dr. Cross," he assured her as they approached the research assistant at the desk. "Bring me specimen zero, zero, one."

The assistant paled slightly before nodding. "Yes sir. I'll bring him to bay twelve."

Professor Xander nodded and frowned as Mariana led him to bay twelve. "Was it just me or did that man look frightened?"

Mariana opened the door to bay twelve and smirked. "Everyone working on Project Rebirth has a saying, Professor: if the one-winged angel doesn't scare you, you're a ballsy fucker with no common sense."

"Charming," Professor Xander drawled. "I'm surprised the ladies allow such fowl language in their presence."

Mariana laughed as she set all her scanners and recorders on the table in the corner. "Actually, I think one of the female research assistants coined the saying."

They both looked up as the crate was wheeled in. The nervous assistant who had greeted them initially looked at them questioningly.

"Is there anything else you require?" he asked quietly.

Mariana shook her head. "No, thank you Nico." She stepped over to the crate and looked back at Professor Xander. "Are you ready, Professor?"

"Of course," he said dismissively.

Mariana shrugged and opened the crate, shivering at the sight of the legendary ex-General of Shinra. She was disconcerted to see that he still wore the smirk that had appeared when they first packed him away in storage. She picked up the scanners and began taking the necessary readings Professor Xander would need.

Professor Xander approached the tube and stared up at the man people commonly referred to as The Nightmare. "Was he smirking at the time of his 'death'?"

Mariana shook her head. "No sir."

He turned and looked at her. "Then how…?"

She turned and looked at him quite seriously. "President Shinra made a comment about him being dead and unable to escape and when I looked up…he smirked."

"You mean you finally _noticed_ his smirk," he corrected.

She shook her head slowly. "No, I mean he smirked. I was looking at him and his lips drew up in the smirk you see there. In fact, it looks more pronounced than it did last time."

"Are you saying he's _aware_ of everything around him?" Professor Xander asked incredulously. "I think this whole team is borderline obsessive when it comes to the specimen."

Mariana paled dramatically, her eyes on Sephiroth. "Really? And how do you explain _that_?"

He turned and looked where she was pointing. His smirk had morphed into full grin. He swallowed convulsively before turning to look over his shoulder at her. "Most likely an involuntary muscle spasm. It's not uncommon in coma patients and you yourself said he was technically in a coma."

She shook her head. "If you say so, sir."

He glared at Sephiroth before turning that glare on Mariana. "I want those readings on my desk ASAP. I want to begin the introduction of mako into the stasis field soon."

"Yes sir," Mariana said as she continued her scans. She looked up at Sephiroth once she was done and noticed the grin was gone and he was no longer smirking either. He looked almost contemplative in his tube. "The gods won't be merciful on the Shinra Company this time if you escape, General. I only hope any end I meet at your hands is a quick end."

She didn't know if she was relieved or disconcerted when a serene smile curled around his lips.


	5. Chapter 4: Vincent Visits Gongaga

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 4: Vincent Visits Gongaga**

Yuffie smiled when she saw Vincent enter the lobby of the WRO main building. "Vincent!" she called as she smiled and waved.

His own smile was hidden behind the high collar of his cape, but it was there nonetheless. He made his way over to his young lover and stopped inches from her. "Yuffie. Are you working late?"

She rolled her eyes. "Pfft. Yeah. It sucks, but I can't say no to Reeve! He asked me to tell you he needs to see you right away."

Vincent frowned slightly. "It sounds serious."

Yuffie shrugged. "He didn't say anything else. Promise me something."

"If I can, I will," he said.

Yuffie smiled happily. "If he's sending you somewhere, come see me before you go, 'kay?"

"You have my word on that," he said with a smile. He turned and made his way to the elevators. Once they closed in front of him, Vincent closed his eyes. He had a feeling that whatever Reeve wanted him to do was not going to be pleasant.

He opened his eyes as the elevator doors opened and he stepped out into the long hallway leading to Reeve's office. His secretary wasn't there, so he knocked on the door and opened it when Reeve invited him in.

"Vincent, thank you for coming," Reeve said as he got to his feet and stepped around the desk.

"Yuffie said it was urgent," Vincent said as he closed the door behind him.

"It is," Reeve said gravely. "I received a call from an old acquaintance today, Professor Benjamin Howarth."

"He's one of Shinra's scientists," Vincent commented.

Reeve nodded. "Yes. And until three months ago, he was the project leader on a Shinra objective to help the planet replenish itself."

"What happened three months ago?" Vincent asked suspiciously.

"He was replaced by Professor Alex Xander," Reeve said.

"A student of Sonji," Vincent said, remembering the scientist Reno killed to stop him from preventing their action against Sephiroth. "And he was a student of Hojo."

"Precisely," Reeve said as he nodded. "He called me and requested that I send you to him. He has…concerns regarding Shinra. He sent me some research material, but it's very vague. All it mentions is some testing of cells from something only referred to as Specimen zero, zero, one. I hate to think that something is happening behind the walls of Shinra again, but…"

"We know them better than most," Vincent said dryly as he took the folder of information from Reeve. "Where is Professor Howarth located?"

"Gongaga," Reeve said dryly.

"Then he must know something extremely important," Vincent said. "I will leave tonight. I'm sure he's being watched, so I will make sure that no one sees me."

"Thank you, Vincent," Reeve said as relief crossed his worried features.

Vincent inclined his head and went in search of Yuffie. As though she had read his mind, his phone vibrated. He opened it and read the text message from Yuffie. He closed the phone again and began heading towards her office. He finally found comfort in another person after so long and now he had to leave. The world was playing a big joke on him and it was not funny.

Yuffie smiled when he entered, but it disappeared as soon as she saw the look in his eyes. "You're leaving aren't you?"

"Yes," he said quietly.

She rolled her eyes and groaned. "It's a conspiracy, isn't it? We're not meant to have any time together, are we?"

"Apparently not," Vincent agreed. "I have to go to Gongaga."

"Gongaga? What the hell for?" Yuffie asked as she made a face.

"A Shinra scientist requested to speak with me," Vincent said. "Normally I would have said no, but Reeve knows him and feels any concerns this scientist may have warrant granting his request to meet with me."

"Good lord, what is Shinra up to _now_?" Yuffie asked disgustedly. "We've barely started repairing the damage they caused the last damn time they decided to be arrogant!"

Vincent loved that spark of fire residing in the passionate young ninja, but for the sake of a timely departure, he forced himself to ignore it. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone, Yuffie, so…"

"Say no more!" Yuffie said with a smile. "I will look after your cat for you! You brought Sophie with you, right?"

"She's in my apartment in Edge, and thank you for looking after," he said before turning to go.

"Oh, hell no, Vincent!" Yuffie said as she turned him to face her again. "You're not leaving for the gods know how long without a goodbye kiss!"

She grabbed him by the collar of his cape and pulled him down to eye level before fastening her lips to his. He allowed her to deepen their kiss and happily wrapped his arms around her. She smiled against his lips before pulling back.

"Now, you come back in one piece, mister, so I can jump your bones!" she ordered playfully.

"I have every intention of doing so," Vincent said with a smirk as he adjusted his cape. "I will contact you if I'm going to be longer than a few days."

* * *

Professor Howarth looked at the reports of the soil samples and rolled his eyes disgustedly. It had been three long months since he had been ousted from Project Rebirth and that meant Professor Xander was beginning to add the mako or soon would be. Did the president really not understand the danger they were all facing by tempting fate so flagrantly? He shook his head and got to his feet, deciding it was time to call it a day.

He opened the door and was met by the man he considered his jailer. He seemed to be a cross between a Turk and an infantryman from the old 'glory' days of Shinra. He said nothing and just escorted him from home to work and from work to home, checking his mail, and monitoring his phone calls…but Shinra was too late. He had managed to send Reeve his research notes before he had left for Gongaga, and he had sent it through Shinra's own mail! He drew satisfaction from that achievement!

He could only hope that Vincent Valentine would be agreeable to see him. He had every right to wash his hands of Shinra after everything they had done to him, but he had heard rumors…rumors that Vincent would help people trying to prevent Shinra from destroying the planet once more. He was pulled from his thoughts when he realized he had arrived 'home'…and was being locked in by his jailer for the night.

"You _must_ be dangerous indeed, Howarth, if President Shinra has ordered you to be locked in at night," a voice said from the shadows.

"Who's there?" the professor asked anxiously.

Vincent revealed himself to the professor and held his notes up in his right hand. "Reeve said you needed to see me."

"T-that's r-right, Mr. Valentine," Professor Howarth stammered.

"You've got fifteen minutes to convince me you need my help," Vincent said as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"Specimen zero, zero, one is General Sephiroth," Professor Howarth blurted out. "He's not dead…technically."

Vincent narrowed his eyes, trying to keep his temper in check. "Cloud Strife and I were there when he died at the hands of Cloud and Sephiroth's own remnant. We were also there when he was cremated."

"That was Professor Sonji's body and hair clippings from Sephiroth," Professor Howarth confessed.

"So, Shinra kept his body and revived him?" Vincent said.

Professor Howarth nodded. "You must believe me when I say that I only wanted his cells to see if we could discover more about how the Lifestream works. I never wanted him to be fully revived."

"What makes you think Shinra wants to revive him?" Vincent asked.

"I don't think they necessarily _want_ to revive him," the professor clarified. "However, Professor Xander, the man President Shinra replaced me with is adamant that for our research to progress more quickly, we must re-introduce mako into the general's cells. If he infuses too much, the coma-like state that he is currently in could be compromised and he could be able to regain his strength. If that happens…"

"We are inviting meteor back to the planet," Vincent concluded. "You say he is in a coma-like state? How do you know that Sephiroth is even capable of regenerating? He died in front of us."

"We healed him with a low-level cure spell and a small dose of the SOLDIER mako protocol we used on the remnant and Strife," the professor admitted. "It healed his wounds and he started breathing again, but he never regained consciousness. We decided to keep him like he was but, we put him suspended animation and the stasis liquid included the Jenova cell suppressant and no mako whatsoever. We even fitted him with a neural inhibiting band to prevent his subconscious from tormenting Mr. Strife or the remnant."

"So you kept him as Shinra kept Jenova," Vincent said coldly. "Nothing more than a potential experiment waiting to happen. What do you want me to do about this?"

Professor Howarth shrugged. "I…I don't really know. I just couldn't let President Shinra continue down this path. I had to tell someone. You're the only one that came to mind."

"I have no access to Shinra," Vincent said after a moment. "But I will speak with the president and Tseng."

"Thank you, Mr. Valentine," Professor Howarth said quietly. "I really did intend to use him only if necessary. Please believe me when I say my intentions were always good."

Vincent looked at the man, yet another tragic figure, in a long line of Shinra's castoffs. "Unfortunately, Professor, the road to hell is often paved with good intentions…and the bodies of the men who held those intentions."


	6. Chapter 5: Nightmare Unleashed

Author's Note: Thank you for the reviews Eclipse Storywriter, Telya & Me xD! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 5: Nightmare Unleashed**

Rufus looked at the most recent reports of the experiments using Sephiroth's cells, while Professor Xander waited restlessly. Rufus finally looked up from the paperwork and smiled.

"You are progressing well," he said.

Professor Xander smiled and nodded. "We are indeed. The mako has made all the difference, President Shinra."

"And there have been no signs of the specimen becoming…self-aware?" Rufus asked.

Professor Xander ignored the brief smirks and other assorted facial twitches, dismissing them as involuntary spasms, which just _happened_ to coincide with conversations had around him. "Absolutely not, sir. Everything is proceeding as planned."

"Perfect," Rufus said with a satisfied smile. "Please continue with your research. It's all very promising."

Professor Xander happily got to his feet. "Thank you, Mr. President. I will make sure all of our findings are forwarded to you."

Rufus waited until he was alone again before picking up his phone and buzzing his secretary. "Yuki, call Dr. Mariana Cross and have her come to my office immediately." He set the phone down and sighed as he rubbed his eyes.

"Still don't trust your employees?"

Rufus was startled by the voice and turned to face the direction it had come from. "Vincent?"

Vincent stepped out of the shadow and narrowed his eye. "Perhaps you expecting someone else? Sephiroth maybe? Don't tell me you're afraid of ghosts, Rufus."

Rufus narrowed his eyes. "I wasn't expecting anyone, much less a ghost from the past I'd rather forget. How did you get in here?"

"A Turk is a Turk until he dies," Vincent said cryptically. "And despite Hojo's best efforts, I'm not dead."

"Let me rephrase the question: _why_ are you here?" he asked.

Vincent pulled out a report and watched Rufus pale slightly. "Specimen zero, zero, one was retrieved at seventeen thirty hours from the mountains near the main Healen lodge after said specimen's supposed termination. Level one cure and one injection of SOLDIER protocol mako administered to revive specimen's vital readings. Specimen transferred to Shinra HQ for further containment and study."

"So…you came to read to me?" Rufus asked dryly. "My bedtime isn't until much later than this, but I do appreciate your concern for my sleep, Vincent."

"Sephiroth's not a ghost…not anymore," Vincent stated coldly. "He is Specimen zero, zero, one."

Rufus gave nothing away as he gestured to a chair facing him. "Have a seat Vincent."

Vincent sat down, but glared at the president. "I told you not to keep him as you kept Jenova."

"He is too valuable to destroy," Rufus countered. "We can accept that harvesting the planet's Lifestream for energy is no longer viable, nor is it safe and that means we need to find a new way of gathering energy. Sephiroth became part of the Lifestream and that means his body is a fruitful source of research for us to finally understand how it works!"

"You can't keep him down for long," Vincent argued. "Sephiroth is pure hatred. I thought his mind was degrading, but it hasn't…it's just filled with hatred. He hates Shinra and he hates you. He hates this planet and he hates the people who live here, despite the fact that he was adored and worshiped by them once upon a time. Jenova doesn't control him, his anger and hatred does and when your scientists make a mistake, he will kill them all…before coming after you."

"It's different this time!" Rufus snapped in rare moment uncontrolled rage. "My scientists have worked tirelessly to make sure the calculations are correct for determining the right level of mako to infuse with his stasis field. The numbers were checked and rechecked dozens of times to make sure we didn't unleash hellfire on our planet again."

"You'll forgive me if I say your assurances mean very little to me," Vincent said coldly.

Rufus was about to respond when his phone rang. He picked it up and snapped, "What?" He was silent before nodding. "Send her in." He turned his gaze back to Vincent and raised an eyebrow. "If you won't believe me, maybe you'll believe her. Vincent Valentine, this is Dr. Mariana Cross. Dr. Cross, this is Vincent Valentine."

Vincent turned and saw a woman who was in her late twenties early thirties at the most, enter the room. Another person too young to die at the hands of Sephiroth…yet destined to meet that fate eventually.

"Dr. Cross," he said quietly.

"Vincent Valentine? The man who houses Chaos?" she asked in wonder.

"The very same," Rufus assured her. "Dr. Cross is the second lead on Project Rebirth and perhaps she can put your concerns to rest. Please, have a seat Dr. Cross."

She nodded and sat to Vincent's left. "What kind of questions did you have for me, sir?"

"I just want to make sure that Dr. Xander has not taken it upon himself to change the parameters of this project or the gathered any unnecessary cells from Specimen zero, zero, one," Rufus said calmly. He smiled reassuringly when she flashed a questioning glance in Vincent's direction. "Please, speak freely. Vincent knows about the General and has concerns about the project, understandably so. I'm sure Professor Howarth made it all seem very clandestine."

"Everything with Shinra is inherently clandestine, Rufus," Vincent said before turning and looking at Dr. Cross again. "Please continue as though I'm not here."

She nodded. "Well, Mr. President, the project is proceeding as planned. The addition of mako has made the samples viable for much longer and since adding the mako to the stasis field, the samples we gather no longer degrade or give false readings."

"You see, Vincent? Nothing untoward is happening," Rufus assured him arrogantly.

"Are you sure? I could have sworn I heard a 'but' coming up," Vincent said easily. He turned his piercing gaze on the doctor. "Were you coming upon a 'but'?"

She nodded slightly. "Professor Xander seems to be…"

Rufus frowned as she struggled for the proper wording. "Please, speak freely."

"Well, to be honest, he doesn't seem to take the Specimen seriously," she said. "And he is ignoring his facial expressions, just dismissing them as involuntary muscle spasms, but they're more than a reflex. It's almost like you can read his thoughts by looking at his face…and they have begun to change more frequently since the addition of mako."

"Can you give me some examples of the what he seems to be thinking?" Vincent enquired.

She nodded. "When we were first preparing him for storage, Director Tseng advised President Shinra that keeping him was a bad idea, and the president said something along the lines of he's dead and can't escape. I was standing in front of him taking readings and just happened to be looking directly at him and he…smirked."

"He smirked?" Vincent repeated.

"Yes," she said with a nod. "A few months ago, Dr. Xander requested to see the specimen since he had just taken over the project and he wanted fresh readings for his mako calculations. He questioned me about the smirk, which was still present and then berated me and all the other team members for being obsessed with the specimen. During his tirade, the specimen grinned."

"You said his facial expressions change more frequently now with the mako infusion?" Vincent asked.

"Because we must monitor the mako levels constantly, we are with the specimen more often than we ever were," she said. "In fact we keep him in bay twelve permanently instead of storing him every time we leave. He seems to…react to any conversation we hold when in his presence."

Vincent looked at Rufus. "I want to see him."

* * *

"Mr. President, what is the meaning of all this?" Professor Xander demanded as he stood in front of the doorway leading to bay twelve.

"Mr. Valentine needs to reassure himself that Specimen zero, zero, one is no longer a threat," Rufus said with a smirk.

Vincent stepped closer to the professor until he was towering over him. "I don't think you want me to be inconvenienced by your lack of cooperation."

Professor Xander stepped aside and followed the small party into the room. "As you can see he is contained."

Vincent stepped closer and looked at the familiar man in the tube. Various blips and beeps kept track of his vital signs and the levels of each compound that made up his stasis liquid. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man who seemed almost ethereal in appearance in the luminescent liquid that surrounded him.

"He seems almost…peaceful," Vincent murmured, noting the sneer that slowly formed on the General's lips. "Hm. You're right…peaceful is too far-removed from what you are. Psychotic is more accurate." The sneer became a malicious grin before Vincent's eyes. He turned to face Rufus. "I've seen enough. We need to talk…privately."

Rufus led him out of bay twelve and down to a small vacant office. "Vincent…"

"Destroy him now," Vincent said, cutting Rufus off. "Remove the mako and destroy Sephiroth like you should have in the first place."

"Wait just a damn minute Vincent," Rufus argued. "We are making progress with our testing and…"

"And it will get you killed," Vincent said firmly. He sighed and was incredulous to find he actually cared about the fate of the arrogant man in front of him. "Rufus, Sephiroth is definitely aware of his surroundings. He reacted to me and that means it is only a matter of time before he recovers enough to break free of your containment. If the mako treatments continue, he will escape."

"You expect me to fear a half dead General?" Rufus asked incredulously.

"Yes," Vincent said simply. "Do what I'm telling you Rufus or you _will_ suffer the loss of more of your people…and the loss of your life. You can't hide behind Cloud forever."

Rufus watched Vincent leave before rubbing his eyes irritably.

* * *

Rufus was still irritated as he picked up the phone and requested both Dr. Cross and Professor Xander be sent to his office immediately. He didn't want to believe Vincent…Sephiroth _had_ to fall eventually and he wanted it to be this time. However, even as he acknowledged his desire to ignore the former Turk's dire warning, he could no longer feign ignorance of Sephiroth's true state. He had seen his reaction to Vincent first hand and knew what must be done.

"You wanted to see us sir?" Professor Xander said as he entered, followed by Mariana.

"Yes," Rufus said as he got to his feet and went to stand in front of his desk. "We have gathered enough cells from Specimen zero, zero, one and it is time for us to destroy him."

"Mr. President…" Professor Xander began.

"Professor, you saw the emotions Mr. Valentine was able to provoke today," Rufus said firmly. "And I believe Dr. Cross has advised you of the increased activity in his reactions. He is beginning to come around and it's time to end the experiments with his cells. Remove the mako and have the specimen destroyed."

"You are throwing away all our potential research opportunities!" Professor Xander protested. "Given more time, I could even learn to improve the SOLDIER protocols and create an even better version of SOLDIER first class! Using no Jenova cells may be the key to correcting the errors made with Genesis, Angeal, and even Sephiroth!"

"No!" Rufus snapped. "No more SOLDIER. Your desire to revisit our most monumental mistakes proves that it is time to end the research on Sephiroth's body. You accused your team of being obsessed with General Sephiroth and the legends attached to him, yet your arguments show you are the one obsessed. Remove the mako _now_, Professor! Tseng will oversee your progress."

* * *

Tseng was waiting at bay twelve for them. Mariana noticed the look of relief that showed only in the Turk's eyes, while his face remained passive.

"How long will it take to drain the mako?" Tseng asked indifferently.

"We'll have to isolate it from the rest of the stasis field, but it shouldn't take too long," Mariana answered.

She reached for the door handled and jumped slightly at the sound of breaking glass. Tseng pulled his gun out while pushing her aside. He slowly turned the handle before pushing the door open and pointing his gun into the empty room.

"Oh, no," Professor Xander whispered when he caught sight of now broken and _empty_ glass tube that once held Sephiroth. "He's…gone!"

Tseng turned and glared down at the professor. "I thought your calculations were precise."

Professor Xander swallowed convulsively. "The president's demands were increasingly difficult to meet."

Mariana narrowed her eyes as she approached the mako monitor. She turned and glared at the professor. "You increased the mako? What were you thinking?"

"How dare you speak to me like this!" Professor Xander sputtered. "I am still your superior!"

"And the president is yours," Tseng reminded him. "Sephiroth is loose and he will not be happy with any of you. Get your people out of here as soon as possible. I'm going to alert the other Turks to the situation. I will send one down to help you escape, but my priority is the president."

Mariana went to the panic button on the wall and pushed it causing the room to be filled with a shrill, incessant beeping. "Everyone will know they need to leave, Director."

He nodded before leaving the room. Professor Xander turned and glared at Mariana.

"You were a stool pigeon planted to watch me, weren't you?" he demanded. Without waiting for a response, he backhanded her across the face, sending her to the ground. "You useless bitch!" He kicked her in the stomach as she tried to push herself to her feet. He glared at her as she dragged herself under a nearby table. "If you hadn't been whispering in the president's ear, I wouldn't have had to increase the mako! This is all your fault! You are going to…"

Mariana managed to look up in time to see a flash of silver before hearing Professor Xander's painful scream as he landed on the floor across from her. She could only see a pair of ominous black boots as they moved to stand over the fallen professor. Seconds later a large clumsy blade pierced the professor's stomach, making a clanging noise as it pierced his body and hit the cement of the floor beneath him. She could barely stop herself from retching as the blade was then slowly twisted, causing the dying professor to moan in pain as he coughed up blood, choking on it as he tried to breathe.

Mariana gasped as the feet turned towards her seconds before the table was thrown out of the way and she was revealed to ex-SOLDIER general as he towered above her. She shuddered as she watched him stand above her and watch her with his glowing mako eyes. He had found leather pants and boots, but was still without his coat or Masamune. He was still a terrifying figure nonetheless. He slowly crouched down beside her and gently wrapped his hand around her throat before pulling her to her feet.

"Where is my sword?" he demanded, his smooth voice like silk against her jagged nerves.

"I don't know," she said nervously. "It was never given to us."

He nodded slightly before reaching for a syringe. "You once asked that any death I brought you was quick and painless. For the respect you have shown me, I will grant you a painless death." She hissed when the needle pierced her flesh. "However, you have used me as my mother was used and that cannot be forgiven. A mako overdose is a slow death…one you will face here alone."

He tossed her to the ground and began to head for the exit. As she felt herself beginning to succumb to the mako, she lifted her eyes to his retreating form.

"Thank you," she whispered before her eyes fluttered shut.


	7. Chapter 6: An Eye For An Eye

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 6: An Eye For An Eye**

Rufus slowly became aware of his surroundings. He tried to sit up, but found he couldn't move. He tried to move his arms, but he could feel course rope digging into the tender flesh of his wrists and ankles. He lifted his head and found himself naked, except for his boxers spread-eagle on his bed.

"What the hell is going on?" he shouted.

"Payback, Mr. President," Sephiroth said as he appeared beside the bed. He smirked maliciously and held a small blade before Rufus' eyes. "We are going to play a little game I call an eye for an eye before I hunt down the rest of the people responsible for all that I have suffered."

"Just get it over with," Rufus said coldly. "You don't want to be interrupted by my Turks."

Sephiroth sneered as he sat on the edge of the bed facing Rufus. "I left them quite the mess on my way here. They'll be busy for a while trying to figure which body parts go with which."

Rufus' eyes widened as he recalled Vincent's warning. _If the mako treatments continue, he will escape. Do what I'm telling you Rufus or you will suffer the loss of more of your people…and the loss of your life._

"We are going to be here for a while, Rufus because for every man, woman, and child I have killed in the name of the almighty Shinra Electric Power Company, you shall receive a cut, so get comfortable," he whispered near his ear. "It's a very long list."

Rufus squeezed his eyes shut while Sephiroth grinned sadistically. Sephiroth was slightly impressed with the young president...he didn't so much as flinch when the blade pierced his flesh.

* * *

Loz sat straight up in bed gasping and grasping his chest, his breathing labored and short. Tifa touched his back and sat up beside him.

"Loz? Are you okay?" she asked through a yawn.

He looked around the darkened room he shared with Tifa and nodded once he realized where he was. "Yeah, it was just a nightmare."

"About what?" Tifa asked.

"About Sephiroth," he said with a shudder. "He was killing a bunch of people in white lab coats and then he was torturing President Shinra."

"Well, he did kill a lot of people and Rufus' father," Tifa reasoned soothingly. "Maybe you still have some of his memories floating around in your head."

"But it was _Rufus_ he was torturing," Loz said as he looked over his shoulder at her. He ran a hand through his hair agitatedly. "It was like I was there in the room watching him. And he looked directly at me and said 'you're next'."

Tifa frowned before pulling him back down beside her. "Loz, Sephiroth is dead. Cloud watched him burn. It was just a nightmare."

"A nightmare is how it all started last time," Loz murmured as he pulled Tifa into the crook of his arm and held her tightly.

* * *

Tifa was still thinking about Loz's dream as she cleaned the bar and restocked her shelves the next day. She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the door to the bar open and wasn't even aware she wasn't alone until Yuffie knocked on the bar counter top.

"Tifa, this is ground control," she said with a smile. "Wake the hell up!"

Tifa jumped to her feet and grasped her chest. "Gods, Yuffie! You startled me."

"Yeah, I know," Yuffie said with a grin. "You seemed a million miles away! Where were you?"

"I was thinking about last night," she said.

"Ah, so Sideburns is still rocking your world, huh?" Yuffie teased.

Tifa rolled her eyes. "He had a nightmare last night."

"About what?" Yuffie asked.

"Sephiroth," Tifa said uneasily. "It's been so long since he last thought about him, so I'm worried. I wanted to talk to Vincent about it, but I can't reach him. Have you heard from him?"

"Well, he was sent on a mission by Reeve to meet with a Shinra scientist who was insisting on speaking with Vincent about something related to Shinra," Yuffie said slowly. "And I haven't heard from him since then. And you know, I've been hearing some rumors about something big going on at Shinra, but…"

"What have you been hearing?" Tifa asked with a frown.

"Well, I heard that Rufus is sick," Yuffie confided. "No one has seen him for a few days and doctors have apparently been visiting non-stop."

"Do you think Geostigma is back?" Tifa asked.

Yuffie shook her head. "I don't think so…but apparently, Shinra's had a new hush-hush project in the works for about a couple of years, and nothing has come of it. In fact, I think the scientist Vincent went to see was formerly a part of the project team, but was shipped off to Gongaga for disagreeing with Rufus."

Tifa began to feel uneasy. "I have to see Cloud. It's his day off and I want to know if he's heard anything. Can you wait here for the kids?"

"Oh, no problem, Teef," Yuffie said with a smile. "Oh, and if you run into Vincent, tell him his girlfriend is super pissed that he didn't call like he was supposed to!"

* * *

Cloud looked up from a book he was reading when there was a knock on the door. He padded over to the door and opened it, smiling when he saw Tifa standing there.

"Tifa? What are you doing here?" he asked as he stepped aside so she could enter.

"Cloud, I have to talk to you," she said as she sat on the couch.

He frowned and closed the door before joining her on the couch. "What is it?"

"Have you had any weird dreams…or nightmares recently?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, actually," he said as his frown deepened. "How did you know?"

"Loz had a nightmare about Sephiroth last night," Tifa confessed. "And it really freaked him out."

"What was the dream about?" Cloud asked, a deep feeling of foreboding creeping into his stomach.

"He said Sephiroth was killing a bunch of people in white coats, and torturing Rufus Shinra," Tifa said with a shudder. "And then he looked at Loz and said…"

"You're next," Cloud finished.

"How did you know that?" Tifa asked with a frown.

"Because I had that same dream last night," Cloud said as he got to his feet. "I thought it was just because it's getting closer to the anniversary of Aerith's death and the whole Meteor thing. But now…why the hell is this happening? He's dead! We all watched him die and I watched his body be destroyed."

"It may be nothing, but Yuffie said Vincent went to Gongaga to see a Shinra scientist that Reeve knew," Tifa said. "This scientist used to be on a project in New Midgar, but he was unceremoniously shipped off to Gongaga. The rumor is he disagreed with Rufus about something."

Cloud nodded. "I saw Reno today and he said he had heard a rumor that Rufus was ill."

"That's what Yuffie said," Tifa added nervously. "This may be nothing, but…Vincent hasn't checked in with Yuffie in a week."

Cloud began pacing before looking up at Tifa. "I'm going to talk to Reno and see if he can get me a meeting with Tseng. Something's fishy here and it stinks of old Shinra policies."

"Don't let them talk you into taking on anymore of their mistakes, Cloud," Tifa said as she got to her feet. "It's about time Shinra had to clean up after themselves."

* * *

_The puppet lives here now? That must mean my remnant is living with Tifa and the children. Hm. Cloud you're pathetic if you gave up _that _easily,_ Sephiroth thought to himself as he watched Tifa and Cloud exit Loz's old apartment. They seemed to be splitting up and Sephiroth had to decide which one to follow. He decided to follow Tifa because she was on foot and easier to follow. Predictably she began to walk in the direction of Axel's Custom Bikes, presumably to pay a little visit to his remnant. _Let the games begin_, he thought to himself as he smiled.

As Tifa walked, she seemed to sense something was off and Sephiroth had to stay out of sight to avoid her eyes as she scanned the area around her. He had to smile at her vigilance. So far Shinra was keeping his assault on Rufus a secret, so she had no reason to be suspicious of the world around her, yet she was. His borrowed Shinra infantryman uniform and helmet allowed him to both blend in and follow her more closely than if he had been in his normal attire, but if she noticed anyone who appeared to be with Shinra following her, she would stop to ask questions and he wasn't ready to reveal himself to her yet.

She walked into the bike shop and Sephiroth made his way around back. He found an open window in the alleyway between the shop and the building next door. The darkness of the alley provided him the cover needed so he could listen to their conversation and avoid detection and any interruptions from the people who wandered the street. He leaned against the wall and listened, the mere sound of his remnant's deep tones irritating him immediately. It would only be a matter of time before Sephiroth would make sure Loz paid for his betrayal…and pay his remnant would!


	8. Chapter 7: Shinra's Lies Revealed

Author's Note: Thanks to my reviewers! You guys are awesome! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 7: Shinra's Lies Revealed**

Reno yawned as he filed the flight plans for the month. As a Turk, he detested paperwork so if Tseng could see him now, doing paperwork and _not_ complaining, Reno was sure he would drop dead on the spot! He smirked slightly before shaking his head. He missed Tseng, Elena, and Rude. He looked at the clock and wondered what they were doing at that same moment. Whatever it was, it was probably something more interesting than paperwork. He was startled out of his thoughts by the shrill ringing of the phone on his desk.

"WRO flight deck, you're speaking to Reno, yo," he answered as he balanced the receiver between his ear and his shoulder while continuing to file paperwork.

"Reno, it's Tseng."

"No shit, seriously?" he asked with a smile. "I was just thinking about you guys! What's up?"

"I need to see you," he said.

Reno stopped what he was doing and frowned. "Sounds serious. What's it about?"

"Turk business," he answered.

Reno snorted. "I ain't a Turk, yo. Remember? Rufus sacked me."

"Rufus is in a coma," Tseng said without preamble. "I need you back here, Reno."

"Well, not to be all difficult or anything, but I _have_ a new job," he answered. "I can't just be like, 'hey Reeve. Shinra's gone bipolar and now they want me back. Later'."

"I've spoken with Reeve and he agreed to my request," Tseng said. "Reno, it's really important. Come to the Shinra helipad right away and if you can reach Cloud…tell him I need to see him too."

"Cloud? Aw man, this is bad if you want me to find Chocobo head," Reno moaned. "Okay, Tseng. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"You'll be where in twenty minutes?" Cloud asked as he walked into the office.

"Spiky! Perfect timing," Reno said as he got to his feet. "Shinra's got problems, well, _new_ problems. Tseng asked to see both of us."

"What do you know?" Cloud asked as he followed Reno down the hall.

"All I know is that Rufus is in a coma," Reno answered.

"A coma? How?" Cloud asked.

Reno shrugged. "He didn't say, man."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Cloud said quietly.

* * *

Elena was waiting at the gate for them. "Hey guys!" she called as she waved them over. "Tseng's waiting in hanger two."

Reno nodded and drove towards the hanger while Cloud followed on Fenrir. The bad feeling Cloud had became gut wrenching when he saw Vincent talking with Tseng. Vincent working with Shinra meant _big_ problems.

"You as worried as I am about Big Red being here?" Reno murmured as he and Cloud approached the two men.

"Okay, what's going on?" Cloud asked.

"Most of the science department has been killed," Tseng said bluntly.

Cloud flashed to his dream of scientists being murdered. "Reno said Rufus is in a coma."

Tseng nodded. "Rude and Elena were trying to find any survivors of the massacre in the science division. I went to secure Rufus, but when I arrived at his door, the assailant cast a petrify spell on me. I was unable to move. All I could do was listen to Rufus moan as he endured a comprehensive torture that lasted for hours. When I was finally able to move, I found him tied to his bed, his body covered in cuts, and he was surrounded by blood."

"Okay, what the hell is happening?" Cloud demanded. "I dreamed of all of this!"

"When?" Vincent asked.

"Last night," Cloud said. "And Loz had the same damn dream! And in our dream, it was Sephiroth who did all of it and he promised that we were next. Now what the hell is going on?"

"Sephiroth wasn't destroyed," Vincent said. "He's alive and he killed those scientist before torturing Rufus and he is most likely coming after you again."

"We watched him burn," Cloud said angrily.

Vincent looked at Tseng before looking at Cloud again. "It was not Sephiroth we watched them destroy. It was Professor Sonji."

"I've had it with all your Shinra bullshit!" he yelled at Tseng. "I'm not Shinra's Gods damned babysitter! You made this bed, so _you_ can lie in it! I'm done!"

Reno watched Cloud storm out of the hanger before turning to face Vincent and Tseng. "I hate to say it, but I kind of agree with him. This is kinda bullshit. But, I was a Turk so I'm used to it. What do you need me to do?"

Tseng smirked at his response. "I need you to go with Elena and Rude to Nibelheim."

Reno frowned. "What for?"

"Sephiroth's Masamune is deep in the reactor," Vincent answered.

"And I need you three to retrieve it," Tseng said. "Eventually, Sephiroth is going to want it back."

Reno nodded. "Any idea if he knows where it is? I just want to be prepared in case he shows up unexpectedly. I have no desire to be his personal pincushion again. Once was enough, yo."

"We don't know where Sephiroth is," Tseng said. "That was where Cloud was supposed to come in."

"I will speak with him, Tseng," Vincent said. "But don't expect too much. I warned Rufus it was only a matter of time before Cloud finally drew the line."

"Please advise Tifa and Loz of what has happened," Tseng said.

"I will," Vincent said as he turned to go. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "But if you think this was bad, Tifa will be worse."

* * *

Cloud stormed over to his bike and mounted it before turning the key. He glared at the key when the engine failed to turn over. He tried again and still didn't get a response from the bike.

"Cloud?"

He sighed and looked to his right. "What do you want, Elena?" he asked irritably.

"You're not leaving us are you?" she asked with a frown.

"Elena, I told that idiot Rufus to get rid of Sephiroth and he didn't listen!" Cloud snapped, making the Turk jump slightly. "I'm not going to keep cleaning up after his mistakes! A man can only do so much."

"Cloud, please," she said softly. "I know you're angry and I don't blame you. I'm angry too. I lost some good friends this time, people who had nothing to do with whatever they were using Sephiroth for. He just…it was…I've never seen anything like that before Cloud. And what he did to Rufus…whatever you feel towards the president, you would agree he didn't deserve what he got."

Cloud sighed and looked at Elena again. "I'm sorry about your friends."

She smiled sadly and nodded. "Thank you."

"But I just can't do this," he said. "I have to protect my friends and if that means facing Sephiroth, then fine, I'll do that. But I'm not doing the legwork for Shinra. And if Sephiroth doesn't come for us, I'll have no problem commandeering a space ship and letting Sephiroth have this damn planet as his vessel to sail the cosmos or whatever stupid plan he has for it."

"You don't mean that, Cloud," Elena said quietly. "Please, you have to help us."

Cloud looked at the sad, helpless expression on her face. He was used to seeing her strong and confident, so seeing her like that was painful. He sighed irritably and rolled his eyes. "Fine, Elena. But if Tifa and Loz say forget it, then I'm with them. _We're_ going to be the ones putting our asses on the line here, not you."

"That's all any of us can ask for, Cloud," Elena said in relief.

He nodded before smirking. "Now, can I have whatever you took out of my engine back so I can start my bike?"

Elena smiled sheepishly as she handed Cloud the four sparkplugs she had removed from the engine. "Here you go."

"You know, if you've wrecked anything, Loz is going to be pissed," he said with a smile.

Elena nodded and smiled brightly. "Don't worry. I didn't wreck anything. I'm kind of a gear head myself."

Vincent met them on the way back to the hanger. "Did you change your mind, Cloud?"

He looked at Elena and smiled slightly. "Yeah. What is the plan?"

"Elena, Tseng wants you back in the hanger," Vincent said. "Reno agreed to go with you and Rude to retrieve the Masamune."

"I'm on it," she said before turning and looking at Cloud. "Thank you Cloud."

He nodded before she turned and hurried back to the hanger. He looked at Vincent. "It's bad, isn't?"

"What Sephiroth did to the people of Nibelheim seems kind in comparison to what he subjected Rufus and his people to," Vincent said gravely. "His hatred is running rampant and when he comes for you…if you're not prepared, Cloud, I fear you'll see Aerith very soon."

"If he's coming for me, he'll be coming for Loz," Cloud said. "And Tifa. We have to get back to Seventh Heaven and warn them."

* * *

Loz slammed his fist on top of the countertop of his workbench and snarled. "Damn Rufus!"

"Loz, we don't know _what's_ going on," Tifa said soothingly. "It could just be Shinra being shady again. It doesn't mean he's back."

"My dream…it was so _real_," he whispered. He turned and looked at Tifa. "And Cloud had the same dream. What else could it mean?"

"Maybe Sephiroth is creating more remnants?" Tifa suggested. "Just like he created you and your brothers."

Loz rolled his neck and sighed. "Maybe. I'm worried about the kids."

Tifa nodded. "Me too. Listen, just talk to Jake and see if you can come home early, okay? Cloud will be back soon and hopefully he can tell us what's going on at Shinra."

Loz nodded before gently pulling her against his chest. "I don't want you to get hurt and I don't want _him_ to get his hands on you."

Tifa closed her eyes and smiled against his chest. "He can't hurt us. We won't let him."

_That's what you think_, Sephiroth thought to himself with a smirk.

* * *

Tifa sighed as she shifted her groceries in her arms and unlocked the door to Seventh Heaven. Cloud wasn't there yet and that worried her. "What have you done this time, Shinra?" she asked herself with sigh as she entered the bar. She stopped and gasped when she saw the tables and chairs on the floor as though they had been thrown around the room during a fight. Was it a break in? Tifa could see the back door wide open, so she hurried over to the bar to check on the cash register and safe. Everything was in place there, but when she turned, she saw Yuffie lying awkwardly on the stairs.

"Yuffie!" Tifa exclaimed as she ran over to her friend. "Gods, are you okay?"

"Tifa?" she murmured as her brow furrowed and her eyes fluttered open. "I'm so sorry!"

"What happened?" Tifa asked.

"He appeared like a demon from hell," Yuffie said as she began to cry. "It was like when they came to Wutai! I was helpless! I couldn't stop him Tifa! He took them! He took the kids."

"What? Who took the kids?" Tifa asked with a worried frown.

Yuffie looked at her friend, tears streaming down her face. "The Demon of Wutai."

Tifa's eyes widened as she shook her head. "Sephiroth? Yuffie, he's dead!"

"Well, he seemed very much alive when he kicked my ass," Yuffie said as she angrily wiped the tears from her eyes and forced herself to sit up. "Tifa, he told me to tell you if you want the kids, they're at the beginning of the road. What does that mean?"

Tifa frowned and nodded. "The beginning of the end. Yuffie, wait here and tell Cloud I've gone after the kids."

"What? No! You can't just go off alone! That's what the bastard wants!" Yuffie protested, grabbing her spinning head as she fell to the stairs again.

"I can't let him hurt Marlene and Denzel," Tifa said as she ran to the open back door. "I have to do this Yuffie."

"Tifa! No!" Yuffie cried out, but it was too late. Tifa had already jumped on her bike and disappeared.


	9. Chapter 8: Return To Nibelheim

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 8: Return To Nibelheim**

Tifa shuddered as she looked around the town square. She always felt a chill when she was in Nibelheim. No one should ever feel how she felt about her hometown. It should make you feel warm and familiar…but all she felt was sadness. Shinra had rebuilt the town to cover up what Sephiroth had done and even if they hadn't done that, it would no longer be where here heart was. It would always be the place her childhood had been murdered along with her father.

She shook her head and rode through the town to the ominous stairs leading up to the Shinra mansion…where she was sure the children were being held. Even after staying there two years ago, before Sephiroth returned again, the mansion still gave her the creeps. Vincent had tried to sleep his guilt away for thirty years in there and Hojo had done countless 'experiments' in the basement, including injecting Zack and Cloud with Jenova cells. It was not a happy place for too many people…including Sephiroth. She still remembered the look on his face after exiting the reactor before he fully succumbed to his madness. He looked so…shocked and angry. The man she had come to learn was Genesis, another ex-SOLDIER, was the one who had told Sephiroth of his twisted past.

"Damn you, Genesis," Tifa muttered as she dismounted from her bike and approached the rusted gates surrounding the mansion. "If you hadn't told Sephiroth what he really was, maybe none of this would have happened."

But part of Tifa knew that Sephiroth would have eventually figured out what he truly was and still would have most likely lost his mind, giving in to his own hatred and whatever control Jenova may have had over him. She pursed her lips and purposefully pushed the gates open before crossing the courtyard and climbing the steps to the mansion's front door. Not surprisingly, the door was open and the sunlight streamed into the main hall from both the door and the large windows at the top of the stairs.

She stepped further in and listened for the sound of her enemy approaching. She stopped when she heard the floorboards creak on the landing leading to the second level of the house. She looked up and saw Sephiroth staring down at her. No matter how much time had passed, she always felt a tingle of fear whenever she saw him. She moved closer to the stairs, never taking her gaze from his face.

"Where are they, Sephiroth?" she demanded. "I want them back!"

He smirked as he watched her stop at the bottom of the stairs. "They are safe, Miss Lockhart, and you came for them so you have earned them. They are in the room to your right."

Tifa narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Just like that?"

"Yes, just like that," Sephiroth drawled.

Tifa moved towards the door on her right, yet kept her eyes on him as she moved. She only turned away from him once she had reached the door. She slowly turned the handle and allowed the door to swing inward. Relief flooded her heart when Denzel and Marlene both looked up at her.

"Tifa!" Marlene exclaimed as she bolted towards her.

Tifa fell to her knees and hugged both of the children tightly. "I'm so glad to see you both! Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?"

"No," Denzel said as he hugged Tifa tightly.

"He just locked us in here and told us to stay quiet and not to give him and trouble," Marlene said as she looked up at Tifa through her tears.

"And since they did as they were told, they can leave whenever they want," Sephiroth said from the doorway.

Tifa turned and glared at him over her shoulder. "You expect me to let them wander around this gods forsaken town? There are still monsters in this area."  
"I know," he said with a smirk. "But they will be fine in the town. The monsters will only be _our_ concern."

She narrowed her eyes and got to her feet, standing between him and the children. "What are you talking about?"

"You and I are taking a trip, Miss Lockhart," he said coldly.

Tifa swallowed nervously before steeling herself against his cold gaze. She turned and looked down at the children. "I need you two to go to the inn in the middle of the town, okay? You'll be able to call Cloud from there."

Denzel looked from Tifa to Sephiroth before returning his gaze to Tifa. "But, he said…"

"Never mind what _he_ said," Tifa said tightly. "You can call Cloud."

Sephiroth smirked at the boy's hesitance. "Yes, please call Cloud. The more the merrier."

Tifa forced a smile to her lips. "You see? Everything will work out. Now, get going…please?"

Denzel took Marlene's hand and nodded before pulling her towards the door. The children both looked up at Sephiroth nervously as they approached the door he was blocking. Without a word he stepped aside to allow them to pass. He tilted his head as he watched them run towards the front door and open it before running out into the fresh air of Nibelheim. He cocked his head slightly when he heard the sound of leather stretching and smirked.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Miss Lockhart," Sephiroth warned. "Even without my Masamune, I still outmatch you in strength and speed. If you lay a finger on me, I will knock you out cold." He turned and smirked when he found her in a fighting stance. "Then I will find your precious children and show them why most of Wutai calls me a demon."

Tifa reluctantly dropped her stance. "Okay…you have me. Now what?"

"Like I said, we're going on a little trip," he said as he reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her closer to him. "And we're leaving now."

"Why don't you just kill me?" Tifa demanded as she wrenched her arm from his grasp. "We're in this torture chamber of a house. Isn't this the perfect setting for any revenge you have planned for me? Surely you want me to suffer for everything I've done to you and your precious mother!"

She wasn't prepared for the strength of his backhand across her face and was sent to the floor. She held her burning cheek and was barely aware of him straddling her body as he glared down at her.

"I am not in the mood for you and your mouth," he snarled. "I will kill those brats in a heartbeat so unless you want them to end up like Rufus Shinra, I suggest you cooperate and enjoy our little trip down memory lane!"

He rose to his feet and pulled her with him. She glared at him as she unsuccessfully tried to pull her arm from his grip.

"Don't touch me," she snapped. "I'll go with you. Just…leave the kids out of this. They don't need to be brought into this."

"They'll only be brought into it if _you_ bring them into it," he promised as he released her arm. "Now, come with me. We have a difficult journey ahead of us."

"Fine," she said tightly.

Tifa followed Sephiroth out of the mansion and narrowed her eyes when he stopped near her bike. He turned and looked back at her, waiting until she was beside him to speak.

"Is this new?" he asked with a smirk.

She clenched her jaw. "It's the bike my _father_ bought me just before you murdered him. Loz rebuilt it."

"So this is a gift from _my_ remnant," he murmured.

"It was a gift from him, Cloud, and Reno," she said quietly as she remembered the day they had given it to her.

"You have quite the following of fanboys," Sephiroth said with a smirk. "If Zack were here, he'd be among them I'm sure."

"Don't talk about Zack," Tifa snapped.

"Why not? I didn't kill him," Sephiroth reminded her.

"You almost did," she retorted. "You destroyed him when you snapped. And then you nearly killed him in the reactor!"

"But ultimately Shinra's army killed him," Sephiroth growled. "They destroy everything they touch! They ruin lives without a second thought and treat humans like guinea pigs for their twisted experiments."

"Like you're any better, Sephiroth! You want to destroy the planet!" Tifa reminded him.

"I want to put this world out of its misery," he corrected her before straddling the bike. "We've wasted much time. Get on."

Tifa glared at him, detesting the thought of mounting the bike and having to hold onto the ex-SOLDIER for safety, but when he narrowed his eyes and glared at her, she knew she didn't have a choice. She slipped onto the bike behind him and hesitantly rested her hands on his hips. She involuntarily tightened her grip when the bike sped off towards the path leading to the mountains. Sephiroth smirked as her hands reluctantly snaked around his waist for a better grip.

She tensed when she saw monsters appearing at the sound of the bike. Sephiroth pulled out a sword and easily swung out at the monsters as they attempted to pluck them from the bike. Tifa instinctively struck out at a few monsters when they got close to her as well, while Sephiroth easily slashed the ones that got to close to him. The way he maneuvered the bike and swung out at the monsters with his borrowed sword reminded her so much of Cloud. She absently wondered if he had picked that particular skill up from watching Sephiroth in combat during his days with the Shinra infantry.

"My remnant seems to know what he's doing with bikes," Sephiroth yelled over the noise of the wind and of the engine as they outran the first of what he assumed would be many monsters.

Tifa shook her head slightly, her thoughts dragged back to her present situation, and frowned at his words. "He is _not_ your remnant anymore, Sephiroth!" Tifa shouted near his ear.

"I'm sure you saying that makes it easier to share a bed with him," he drawled.

Tifa clenched her jaw and was relieved to see the familiar rope bridge ahead of them. She couldn't stop the smirk that graced her lips when she realized the rope bridge was unusable. She got off the bike even before Sephiroth cut the engine.

"The bridge is out of service," she said triumphantly. "Guess our little trip is canceled."

Sephiroth dismounted from the bike and shook his head. "You seem to have forgotten this."

Tifa jumped as his black wing exploded from his back. She didn't have the chance to react further before he wrapped his arm around her waist and leapt into the air. They had crossed the canyon in seconds and as they landed, Tifa realized she was now trapped and very likely on a one way trip to hell. She stumbled slightly when Sephiroth released her before landing gracefully beside her. She glared at him and he stared right back.

"Why are we doing this?" she asked. "You're obviously taking me back to the reactor. Why?"

He stepped closer to her so he was towering over her before reaching out with a single gloved finger and lightly tracing the scar he had given her all those years ago through her clothes. "We're going to finish what I started all those years ago, Tifa."

She shuddered at both his touch and his words.

* * *

Reno shuddered as they made their way into the reactor. "Man, this place will _always_ give me the fuckin' creeps!"

"Yeah, it's scary," Elena said quietly.

"Where did the vamp say it was?" Reno asked agitatedly.

"He said it's in the Jenova chamber," Rude said calmly. "There's nothing to be worried about. We're alone here."

"How do you know?" Elena asked.

"Yeah," Reno agreed. "Need I remind you that Sephy is on the loose and he has a very unhealthy obsession with his precious 'mother'?"

"I think we'll all remember that for the rest of our lives," Rude said dryly. "If he was already here, don't you think we'd be dead by now?"

"He's got a point," Elena said as they entered the room leading to the Jenova chamber. "We're all being ridiculous."

They all stopped at the bottom of the ominous metal stairs and looked up, yet none of them moved. After a few moments, Reno leaned closer to Elena.

"So…are _you_ going to lead the way?" he asked with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at Reno. "Fine. I can do that."

Reno watched her confidently stride up the stairs and enter the Jenova chamber. He turned and looked at Rude with a grin. "Man, Laney's grown some balls, yo!"

Rude smirked. "You've missed a lot in the last couple of years."

"Are you guys coming or what?" Elena called from the chamber.

Reno laughed and nodded. "Yes ma'am!"

* * *

"What the hell happened in here?" Loz asked as he hurried into the bar through the front door. "Tifa?"

"What the…Loz! What happened?" Cloud asked as he ran in through the back door followed by Vincent. "Where's Tifa?"

Loz shrugged. "I don't know. I just got here."

"She's gone," Yuffie said quietly as she came down the stairs. When she laid her eyes on Vincent, she couldn't hold the tears back and ran into his comforting embrace. "Vincent! I couldn't stop them!"

"What happened?" Loz asked as he stepped closer to the ninja.

"You have to believe me, Sideburns!" she cried as she raised her eyes to his. "Tifa wouldn't listen to me! She just ran out after them!"

"Yuffie, just tell us what happened," Vincent said softly.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Tifa went to see Cloud to talk to him about Sideburns' dream and she asked me to wait for the kids. So I did and they got home no problem, but then…_he_ showed up."

"Who's 'he'?" Loz asked with a frown.

Yuffie bit her lip. "Sephiroth. He demanded that I hand over the kids and when I refused, he began tossing me around like a useless rag doll! Once he had me incapacitated, he…he took Denzel and Marlene."

"That bastard," Loz growled.

"Yuffie, where is Tifa?" Cloud asked urgently.

"Sephiroth told me to tell Tifa to find the children," Yuffie said. "And she booked it out of here like she was on fire!"

"This is important," Cloud stressed. "_Where_ did he say they would be?"

"He was all cryptic and stuff and said they would be at the beginning of the road," Yuffie said with a frown. "And then Tifa said something about the beginning of the end before taking off!"

Cloud frowned. "Nibelheim. They're in Nibelheim."

"We have to go there," Loz said immediately.

"No," Vincent said.

Loz frowned and glared at him. "No? Why the hell not?"

"Sephiroth has a plan and it may involve all of you ending up in Nibelheim," Vincent reasoned. "The last thing we should do is to give him exactly what he wants. I'll go after Tifa."

"I'll call Reno and have him keep an eye out for the kids and let him know what Sephiroth's done," Cloud said. "They should still be at the reactor."

"What is he doing there?" Loz asked as he shook his head.

"He went with Elena and Rude to retrieve Sephiroth's Masamune," Vincent explained. "When Sephiroth had supposedly been destroyed, President Shinra gave me his sword and I stored it in the Jenova chamber in the reactor."

"Reno's not a Turk," Loz said. "Why is he helping them?"

"Rufus was attacked by Sephiroth and is in a coma," Vincent said. "Tseng decided they needed the help and Reno agreed to assist them in their quest. I'm going to leave for Nibelheim now. And Yuffie, please know there is nothing you could have done to stop Sephiroth or Tifa."

She nodded and hugged him once more. "Thank you Vincent. And be careful."

He nodded and released her before disappearing through the back door. Yuffie watched Loz pacing as Cloud waited for Reno to answer his phone. Loz looked up and caught Yuffie's fearful expression. He knew that even though they had formed a friendship since his return, the young ninja still feared the part of him that would always be Sephiroth. He stepped closer to her and softened his expression.

"Vincent is right," he said quietly. "You couldn't stop Tifa from going. Those kids are her life and nothing would stop her from going after them."

Yuffie nodded. "Thanks Loz."

They both turned when they heard Cloud say, "Reno? We've got a problem."

* * *

Elena nervously looked at the Masamune shining in the light as the helicopter lifted off the ground. Even just being near it made her shudder.

"Don't worry, Laney," Reno said with a smile. "Soon it'll be Tseng's problem!"

"I'm just glad we got there before Sephiroth did," she answered. "I wonder where he is?"

"As long as he's not here, I'm fine with that," Rude said dryly.

They all looked up when the sound of Reno's phone ringing went through their headsets.

"Maybe it's the director with news of Sephy," Reno said as he flipped a switch. "What's up yo?"

"Reno?" Cloud said. "We've got a problem."

Reno frowned slightly. "What kind of problem?"

"Sephiroth took the kids," Cloud said.

Reno gripped the control stick tightly. "What do you mean?"

"Sephiroth ambushed Yuffie and took Marlene and Denzel," Cloud explained. "And Tifa went after him."

"Oh shit," Reno said.

"We think they're in Nibelheim," Cloud explained. "Vincent is on his way to find Tifa, but could you guys do a flyover of the town and see if you can see the kids?"

"You got it, yo!" Reno said as he turned the helicopter back towards the town. "Are you and Sideburns coming?"

"No," Cloud said reluctantly. "Vincent thought it would be best for us to stay here in case…he's unsuccessful in finding Tifa and Sephiroth. He felt that if we went after Tifa, we'd be giving Sephiroth what he wanted."

"And we can't have that, yo," Reno said dryly. "We're almost there, Spiky."

Denzel looked at Marlene. "I can't get through on Cloud's phone."

"Try Loz's phone!" Marlene pleaded. "We have to get Tifa some help! That scary general is going to hurt her!"

"I know, Marlene," Denzel said as he shakily reached for the phone again. He stopped when he heard a familiar sound. "Hey, do you hear that?"

Marlene frowned and concentrated. "It sounds like a helicopter!"

They both ran out of the inn and into the town square. Denzel pointed to the black helicopter with the Shinra logo on it. "Look!"

Marlene smiled and began waving furiously. "It's gotta be Reno!"

"Look!" Elena said happily. "It's the kids!"

"Good news Spiky! We found the kids!" Reno said as he began the landing procedure. "We'll call you back!"

Once the helicopter had landed, Reno jumped out and ran over towards the kids. They both ran happily to him and Marlene threw herself into his arms before bursting into tears.

"Reno! You have to help Tifa!" she exclaimed through her tears.

"Sephiroth said he was taking her somewhere," Denzel explained. "Somewhere where there are monsters."

Reno frowned and nodded. "Okay, you two go with Elena and Rude. They'll take you back home. I'm going after Tifa."

They nodded and ran towards the helicopter. Reno followed them and motioned for Elena and Rude to come over to him out of hearing range of the children.

"What are you planning?" Rude asked immediately.

"I'm going after Tifa," Reno answered.

"Sephiroth will kill you!" Elena exclaimed.

"I didn't know you cared, Laney," Reno said with a suggestive wink.

She slapped him on the arm. "This is serious, you idiot!"

"Vincent is on his way," Reno assured her. "I'm just going to tag along. Two against one are good odds, yo!"

"Maybe we should stay," Rude said.

Reno shook his head. "No, you two have to get his sword as far away from him as possible. Report back to Tseng and tell him what happened. Those kids and that damn sword are your priorities."

Rude nodded. "You got it. And watch yourself, Reno."

"Yeah, be careful," Elena added before they ran back to the helicopter.

Reno stood and watched the helicopter lift into the air and head back towards Midgar. He shook his head and dialed Vincent's number. "When the hell did I get respectable, man?"


	10. Chapter 9: Sephiroth and Tifa

Author's Note: Sephiroth and Tifa FINALLY have their first extended confrontation! YAY! Strong sexy tension is ahead for these two, so be prepared! ;D As always, reviews of either praise or constructive criticism are welcome, but flames will be given to Sephiroth for the burning of more towns!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 9: Sephiroth and Tifa**

Vincent sighed as he left the empty mansion. There had been signs that the children had been there, but now there was no one there. Where did Sephiroth take them? He frowned as he knelt beside fresh tire tracks in front of the mansion gates. They were very fresh so he decided it was possible that wherever Sephiroth had gone, he had gone by motorcycle. But he couldn't have taken Tifa _and_ the children. He most likely took Tifa since she was his goal and he would have just abandoned the children…so where were they?

Vincent was pulled from his thoughts when his phone rang. He flipped it open and saw Reno's name. "Reno?"

"Big Red!" Reno answered with a smile in his voice.

"Reno, for the last time, don't call me Big Red," Vincent said quietly.

"Sorry, yo," Reno said sheepishly. "Listen, I just talked to Cloud and he told me about the kids."

"Sephiroth brought them here," Vincent confirmed. "But they're gone now."

"Yeah, I know," Reno said. "We got Sephiroth's sword from the reactor and it's on its way to Midgar right now, and so are the kids."

Vincent looked up from the tracks he was examining when Reno said that. "You found the children?"

"Yep," Reno said. "Cloud asked us to do a flyover of the town and we saw them running out of the inn. They must have heard the helicopter. Anyway, Rude and Laney are taking them back to Cloud and Loz right now."

"Tifa is still missing," Vincent said.

"Yeah, Denzel said Sephiroth mentioned taking Tifa somewhere that is populated by monsters," Reno said dryly. "So naturally that means the mountains. I checked out the path leading to the bridge into the mountains and guess what? I found a bunch of slashed to death monsters and Tifa's motorcycle.

Vincent slowly got to his feet. "There are tracks leading to the path into Mount Nibel from the Shinra mansion so that confirms my suspicions. Sephiroth took Tifa through the mountains on her bike," he murmured.

"Well they can't have gotten far, man," Reno said. "The only bridge that crosses into the mountain footpath is the rope bridge and there are two problems with that. One, it's a rope bridge, and two, it's out of service."

"A minor inconvenience for a one-winged angel," Vincent said dryly as he began walking along the path, following the tire tracks.

"I don't get why he's taking her into the mountains," Reno said as he looked around himself, wary of potential attacks from monsters. "Ain't nothing in Mount Nibel except the reactor. Why would he take her there?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "To finish what he started."

* * *

Sephiroth watched Tifa fight the monsters in front of them and smirked at the irony. She was fighting to live just so he could kill her shortly. Perhaps she believed his puppets were going to save her. He narrowed his eyes as a monster attempted to come upon him from behind. It had been a long time since he had fought without his Masamune in hand-to-hand combat, but it was…refreshing to participate in such a basic form of fighting.

Between the two of them, they managed to dispatch the monsters in only a matter of minutes. It had been too long since he had seen Tifa really let loose and completely throw herself into a fight like she was at that moment. He enjoyed watching her graceful moves that belied the strength of her hits. Given the parts of himself he had given to Loz, it was really no surprise that the remnant had felt such an instant connection to her and enjoyed his 'play time' with her as much as he did. He was pulled from his thoughts at the movement Tifa made as she wiped the sweat and dirt from her face with the back of her hand before she turned to look at Sephiroth over her shoulder.

"We're almost there," she said quietly.

He nodded and stepped up beside her. "You know these paths just as well as you did before."

She shrugged. "Once you learn these mountains, you never forget them…or the monsters that stalk these paths." She was silent for a moment before glancing at him out of the corner of her eye. "This is one hell of a death march you're having me do here."

He smirked as they neared the reactor. "I made a mistake by not making sure you were dead the first time."

Tifa rolled her eyes. "Killing me isn't going to ease your way on your journey!"

"Without you, Cloud would never have been able to break my control on his pathetic mind," Sephiroth said reasonably. "If you had died, I would have been able to control that pathetic remnant much more easily upon his second return."

"You know what, Sephiroth?" Tifa said impatiently. "Believe it or not, I actually understand your hate."

He stopped and turned to glare at her, his mako eyes almost glowing with anger. "You couldn't possibly understand my hatred!"

"Shinra is a shitty company," she said. "They dumped this reactor in my home and ruined the mountains with their failed monsters. They sucked this planet dry without a second thought. They experimented on my best friend. They created a monster like you and let you run rampant and probably never had any intention of killing you! You _were_ dead and they revived you and kept you like a lab rat! They are a horrible company and after everything they did to you and this world, they deserve your hatred. What I don't understand is what the rest of us did to you. Why did you kill my father and burn down my home?"

"Nibelheim represents the birthplace of my wretched existence," he snapped. "And I wanted it wiped from the face of this planet!"

"I found AVALANCHE," Tifa pointed out. "You could have done just as much damage to Shinra by fighting with others against them, if not more. Why didn't you just defect?"

"Do you know of Genesis Rhapsodos?" Sephiroth asked.

"I know he's the one who told you what you are," Tifa said.

"He defected from Shinra and was relentlessly pursued, forced to trust the very scientist who had created him," Sephiroth explained bitingly. "That bastard was just using him. Angeal tried to help him and all it got _him_ was a slow, painful degradation of his body and a death at the hands of his precious pup."

"His pup?" Tifa asked with a frown.

"That's what we called Zack," Sephiroth said quietly. He turned and glared at Tifa. "The pain you think I caused is nothing compared to what I have seen. I had friends once and we were torn apart by Shinra! We were monsters and we would have been hunted down!"

"The world loved you!" Tifa spat. "There were so many people who would have hidden you and protected you just _because_ you were the almighty General Sephiroth!"

"Humans don't deserve my help!" he snapped. "Not after what happened to Mother!"

"I hate to break it to you, Sephiroth, but you are in fact a human!" Tifa snapped. "Your father was a human…"

"Hojo was only a human on a technicality," Sephiroth countered. "He had the heart and soul of a monster."

"He was still a human being and your _real_ mother was a human!" Tifa bit out. "Jenova is a part of you, yes. But she's not the only thing that makes you up!"

"My biological mother allowed that twisted freak of a man Hojo to experiment on me in the womb," Sephiroth growled. "And let's not forgot Hojo's true nature! Of course, there was also Jenova. My gene pool is very twisted indeed, Miss Lockhart and it should not be a surprise to anyone that I am the monster you see today!"

"Cloud has those same Jenova cells in him," Tifa argued. "And he's not like you!"

Sephiroth smirked. He enjoyed toying with her emotions. "Oh, no. He's _so_ much better. He pines after a woman who was never really his to begin with…and she's dead. He took everything you offered him and gave nothing back. He let you love him, yet did nothing for you in return. He humiliated you and you let him. Even _I_ could see the way you felt about that worthless puppet, Tifa. I saw every feeling you had for him in your eyes when you both confronted me in the northern crater and do you know what I saw in his eyes? Nothing…nothing but hatred for me for what I had done to the Cetra girl he _loved_."

Tifa refused to cry in front of him. "Shut up."

He smirked as he slowly walked towards her, watching her with amusement as she backed away from him. "Still a sore subject? Why? You have my remnant. Surely he can soothe the pain Cloud causes you. Or maybe you don't need him to soothe anything. Maybe you need him so you can be near me."

"I…"

"Don't bother denying anything, Tifa," Sephiroth said lowly. "I have not only seen your love for Cloud in the northern crater, but I have also seen your raw attraction to me when we first met. So much lust from such a young girl. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Unlike you, Sephiroth, my past isn't filled with regrets," Tifa said strongly, proud of the fact that she was able to control the blush that was threatening to seep into her face. "So what I had a crush on you? I was a teenager! Normal teenagers covet celebrities. But now…I only feel hate when I look at you."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "That's a lie, Tifa. Don't forget, I have _seen_ how you look at my remnant through his own eyes. Your lust for him is just as bright as your lust for me was at one time. And no matter what you say to yourself and to him, he will _always_ be me! You still lust for _me._"

"Go to hell, you bastard," she snarled before turning on her heal and crossing the short distance to the reactor.

Sephiroth's eyebrow quirked as he watched her storm towards her own imminent death. He followed her closely as she opened the doors to the reactor and was not quite sure what to make of her actions. She seemed to be rushing towards the end and he didn't understand why she would hurry her own death. He silently followed her until she reached the stairs that were the site of their first confrontation. She turned and faced him.

"You want to finish what you started? Go right ahead!" Tifa snapped as she unzipped her black vest and pulled her white tank top of her head, facing him in her shorts and bra. She pointed to her scar and sneered at him. "Why don't you start right here?"

"If you insist," Sephiroth said easily before leaping towards her.

* * *

Reno took a deep breath and leaned against a rock. "What the hell, man? Why are there still so many damn monsters?"

"I would have thought _you_ of all people would be well informed about breeding practices," Vincent said dryly as he walked past him.

"Hey! I'm not nearly the slut I'm _supposed_ to be, yo," Reno protested as he pushed away from the rock and followed Vincent. "A few _minor_ indiscretions and the next thing you know…bam! You're a man whore! I know I have a bad rep for being lazy and a goofball, but damn! I was second in command under Tseng! I didn't get there by being a slouch! I was damned good at my job."

Vincent turned and looked at him. "That's why I didn't object to you coming with me."

Reno smirked slightly. "That was almost a compliment, man."

"I guess it was," Vincent said as he stopped in front of the reactor entrance. "This is it. We must be prepared for what we could find. Hopefully we're not too late."

"If he's killed Tifa, I'm going to rip him limb from limb," Reno growled. "No matter _what_ Rufus would want."

Vincent nodded. "Agreed. We must maintain the element of surprise if we hope to confront Sephiroth without alerting him to our presence."

"You got it, yo!" Reno said as they quietly climbed the stairs leading to the door of the reactor.

* * *

Tifa wasn't prepared for Sephiroth's sudden movement that resulted in her landing on her back at the bottom of the stairs…almost in the exact same place she had landed after her failed attack on the general all those years ago. She regretted the impulsive challenge she carelessly threw out for him to finish what he had started the minute she found him hovering over her and whispering the petrify spell near her ear with a malicious smile curling around his lips, his hand glowing with the power of his materia.

Once she was immobilized, he sat back to look at his helpless prey. "You were so young when we first met, so full of life and energy…and happiness. I took that away from you and left anger and hatred in its place. Killing you now will be a small mercy."

Tifa wanted to scream at him that she didn't want his 'mercy' because she was happy and it was because of _his_ remnant. She just wanted him to leave them alone. She wanted him to return to the Lifestream and allow Aerith to guide him to the Promised Land once and for all. Everything he had lost would be restored to him there if he would just embrace the truth that his time on the planet had come to an end.

Sephiroth tilted his head and watched the solitary tear slowly drop from Tifa's eye. He reached out and traced it with a gloved finger. "Tears? For the pain you'll feel? Or are they for what you're leaving behind?" He leaned near her ear again and smirked. "Don't worry. Cloud and Loz will join you shortly."

Tifa wanted to scream curses at him and wipe that smirk off his face, but all she could do was watch him as he moved slightly and gently traced the scar he had left her with after their first confrontation. He watched her for a reaction, but all he saw was the infinite sadness he had only seen in her eyes once before…after he had killed her father. He couldn't tell what the sadness was for. Was it for herself or her friends? Or was it pity…for him?

He growled and grabbed her throat. "Do not pity me! It is a waste of your energy and to be honest, you'll need every last bit of energy for what I'm about to do to you." He narrowed his eyes before he settled on his side, his body pressed against her and his hair brushed against her skin as watched her. His hand released her throat and slowly traced a path along her skin to the bottom of the scar. He caressed the soft skin on her stomach before pulling his hand back, returning with a small knife. He looked her in the eyes and smirked before slowly pressed it into her skin at the bottom of her scar and dragging it up along the path of the old wound, sighing with sadistic pleasure. "I'm going to find my Masamune and slit your precious delivery boy's throat with it," he whispered as the blade traced the path left by his Masamune. "Then I'm going to find that traitorous remnant and show him _why_ I'm called The Nightmare. And then I shall wipe out the rest of your band of terrorists…before putting those children out of their misery!"

Tifa's tears fell rapidly as his threats continued and the blade in his hand continued split her flesh slowly and painfully. His eyes glittered with sadistic pleasure as he watched the movement of his hand. _Aerith, please make this pain stop! Come for me, please,_ Tifa silently begged.

_It's not your time yet,_ a soft feminine voice assured her. _Cloud and Loz need you. And believe it or not…so does Sephiroth._

Tifa froze at Aerith's words in her ears. _Sephiroth needs me? What do you mean?_

Aerith's soft laughter tinkled in her mind. _You'll see Tifa. When he needs you, you'll know._

Sephiroth suddenly stopped and moved off of her. Tifa still couldn't move so she was unable to see what had made him stop…but she could hear him. _Vincent!_

"Sephiroth!" Vincent said as he appeared behind him. "Get off of Tifa!"

"Again, vampire?" Sephiroth asked dryly. "Cloud couldn't even come after his would-be lover himself? That boy is pathetic, really. Why do you all insist on protecting him? Let me kill him and put everyone out of their misery!"

"He wanted to come," Vincent said. "But giving you what you want has never been our policy."

Sephiroth chuckled. "No, I guess it hasn't. I'm a little disappointed that my remnant is so easily controlled, though."

"He's not," Vincent assured him. "If Tifa isn't returned to him in a timely manner, I'm sure nothing will stop him from finding you."

"That possessiveness of his is something I'm familiar with," Sephiroth said as he approached Vincent. "I am saddened to find that I no longer have contact with Cloud or Loz. It makes finding them and tracking them difficult. It's a good thing Shinra trained me as well as they did since it appears I'll have to find them in a more traditional way."

"Why don't we just end it instead?" Vincent suggested as he leveled his gun at Sephiroth.

"You think I'm at a disadvantage since I don't have my sword?" Sephiroth asked with a smirk. He slowly drew out a standard SOLDIER issue sword. "Any blade can serve as my defender, Turk!"

Vincent fired several shots and raised an eyebrow as Sephiroth easily deflected each bullet. "The Turks and SOLDIER have a history of disliking each other. This seems to be a continuing issue."

"Then we can settle it now," Sephiroth reasoned. He turned and looked at Tifa. "We can finish our business shortly."

Vincent anticipated his attack and was able to leap out of the path of Sephiroth's sword. As Vincent predicted, Sephiroth followed him away from Tifa and once they were out of sight, Reno ran from his hiding spot and knelt beside Tifa.

"Oh, babe! What did that bastard do to you?" he asked as he shook his head. He waited for a reply, but didn't get one. "He cast something didn't he? Well, it's a good thing I'm always prepared, yo." He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a small potion. He lifted her head and held the bottle to her lips. "Drink up this restore potion and then I can get you out of here."

Tifa felt her limbs loosening up and was soon able to move again. "Are the kids safe?"

He smiled and nodded. "They're on their way to Midgar with Elena and Rude. Can you move?"

Tifa shook her head. "Not well."

"I'm gonna carry you, cool?" he asked as he swept her up in his arms.

She nodded and closed her eyes. "Vincent…"

"He'll be fine," Reno assured her. "I owe you one, so I'm gonna protect you and once it's safe, Vincent will find us."

Tifa slowly shook her head. "He can't kill Sephiroth. He's…too stubborn…to just die."

Reno smirked and nodded. "You got that right babe." He slipped into the darkened room he had been hidden in before and settled her a little higher on his chest. "I won't let Sephiroth get you, Tifa, I swear."

* * *

Vincent felt his phone vibrate with Reno's signal that he had gotten Tifa to their predetermined hiding spot. He narrowed his eyes as he aimed his gun at Sephiroth. Now he could stop distracting him and focus on killing him. Sephiroth noticed the change in his attack and slowed his movements.

"You're not alone," he said slowly before smirking. "You've taken her haven't you? Well, that's too bad. I was so close to ending it all. I guess I'll have to hope she dies of blood loss. Speaking of which, is Rufus dead yet?"

"If you wanted him dead, you should have taken the direct approach as you did with his father," Vincent said as he fired at him.

"Sometimes torture is just as effective as death," Sephiroth returned as he blocked the shot. "Take my time in the Lifestream…or even your time in your self-imposed sentence. Did you find any relief in your sleep? I found nothing but pain listening to the wails of the planet is it tried to recover from the damage Shinra caused. It was an effective punishment…or it would have been had I not been able to escape. Now that I am alive again, I want nothing more than to put this planet out of its misery."

"The black materia is gone," Vincent said as he quickly reloaded and fired another shot. "How will you call Meteor?"

Sephiroth smirked. "Figure it out. As it is, we are at a standstill, evenly matched. And since you have Miss Lockhart, it's time for me to move on. It's a pity though. I was so looking forward to spending some quality time alone with her."

Vincent narrowed his eyes as he watched Sephiroth leap into the air as his solitary wing sprung from his back. "Sephiroth!" he called out.

"Don't worry," Sephiroth called back. "I have a gift for you."

Vincent turned and was almost surprised when Sephiroth's borrowed blade pierced his shoulder.

* * *

Reno looked down at Tifa's paling complexion. This wasn't good. The restore potion had removed the petrify spell Sephiroth had cast and the cure materia was closing her wounds, but something was wrong. She was still getting sick. When her skin began to take on a greenish tinge, he knew poison was involved.

"Shit," he muttered. "Where are you Vince?"

"Vince is a _slight_ improvement," Vincent said as he appeared in the doorway. "How is she?"

"I think Sephiroth poisoned her," Reno said.

"He's not taking any chances this time," he said as he revealed the wound Sephiroth had inflicted upon him. "I can feel the poison running through me as we speak, but the elixir I drank is holding it off. I'm just not sure if it will hold until we get back to Nibelheim. If it doesn't, leave me."

Reno nodded. "Well let's get the hell out of here. We don't have a lot of time."

Vincent looked at Reno. "Sephiroth appears to have left, but we must also be prepared to find him laying in wait for us."

"Gods, I hope he's not!" Reno said as he lifted Tifa in his arms once again.

The two ex-Turks made their way through the reactor, waiting for a surprise attack that never came. The only surprise they came across was the chopper landing outside the reactor. Tseng opened the door and helped Reno lift Tifa into the helicopter while Vincent climbed in behind them.

"What brings you out of your comfy office, yo?" Reno asked with a smirk.

"I needed the fresh air," Tseng said dryly. "Elena informed me that you stayed behind to find Miss Lockhart…and Miss Wallace insisted that someone made sure you were safe, Reno."

He smiled as he settled in the back, holding Tifa in his arms. "Marlene can be very persuasive."

"She can indeed," Tseng said as he moved to the front and lifted off from the ground. "Status report."

Reno easily slid into his Turk persona. "Lockhart was under a petrify spell when I found her and her scar was split open again. I used the restore potion Vincent gave me and cast level two cure on her. Her wounds began to close, but I think she was poisoned."

"Vincent?" Tseng prompted.

"Sephiroth figured that I was leading him away so Tifa could be extracted," he answered. "He has a standard issue SOLDIER sword and I believe he infused the blade with a poison. He pierced my left shoulder and I know a poison is invading my blood. The elixir I drank is holding it off, but it needs to be treated. I believe he infused whatever blade he used on Tifa with the same poison."

Tseng nodded. "We're going to the Midgar hospital immediately."

* * *

Sephiroth watched the helicopter lift up into the sky and prepared to follow it. A helicopter crash wasn't nearly as epic a death as he had hoped for, but it would achieve many deaths at once. He was about to leap into the sky when a voice stopped him.

_You don't have to do this,_ she said softly. _Not anymore._

"Get out of my head," he growled. "I killed you. Do you need any other reason to leave me alone?"

_It won't ease your pain, Sephiroth,_ Aerith said, ignoring his question. _You'll only bring yourself more pain if you follow this path._

"Leave me alone," he snapped.

She sighed softly. _I'm here for you, Sephiroth…when you're ready._


	11. Chapter 10: Rufus Awakes

Author's Note: Two updates in one day? O_o Not sure if it's a good thing, so you guys tell me! ^_^

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 10: Rufus Awakes**

Yuffie heard the door to Seventh Heaven open and hurried down the stairs. When she entered the bar area, she couldn't help the squeal of happy relief that left her lips.

"Denzel! Marlene!" she cried out as she ran over to the children.

"Yuffie!" they both exclaimed as they ran over to her and threw their arms around her.

"Cloud! Loz! They're back!" Yuffie called out before releasing the kids and wiping her eyes. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah," Marlene sniffled. "But Sephiroth took Tifa!"

"Cloud!" Denzel exclaimed when the blonde entered the bar. He ran over to him and threw his arms around his waist.

"Denzel!" Cloud said as he hugged the boy tightly. He got to his knees and looked him in the eye. "Are you okay? Did Sephiroth hurt you?"

Denzel shook his head. "No. Cloud, he was so scary. Not threatening scary, but quiet scary…like Kadaj."

Loz entered the room and Marlene immediately ran over to him and wrapped her arms around one of his legs.

"Loz I was so scared!" she whispered.

He disentangled her from his leg and lifted her up in his arms. "Are you okay?"

She nodded as she buried her face in his neck. "Yeah…but he has Tifa. He's taking her somewhere with lots of monsters."

Loz frowned and looked down at Cloud. "Lots of monsters?"

Cloud nodded and got to his feet, holding Denzel close to him still. "He must have taken her into Mount Nibel."

"Why?" Yuffie asked with a frown.

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know…unless he's taking her back to the reactor."

"For what?" Yuffie asked.

"Maybe he wants to pick up where he left off," Cloud said as he looked at her meaningfully.

Marlene picked up on what Cloud was trying to say without saying it and angrily lifted her head from Loz's shoulder. "You mean he's going to kill her! He wants her to die where he thinks she should have died in the first place!"

Yuffie stepped closer to Loz and gently rubbed Marlene's back. "He can want whatever he wants, but Tifa isn't going to go down without a fight and you know it. She'll give that bastard what for and if she needs help, Vincent will find her. He went there after you two were taken."

"And he'll have Reno's help," Elena said, reminding everyone that she and Rude were still there.

"Reno stayed there?" Cloud asked.

Rude nodded. "He went to find Vincent after we left. Tseng took some men and flew back to Mount Nibel to find them."

Loz's eyes widened slightly. "He did?"

Elena smiled and nodded. "Marlene told him someone had to make sure that Reno was okay."

Marlene lifted her head again and nodded. "I told Mr. Director that Reno kept us safe and now someone had to keep _him_ safe."

Cloud smiled. "And he did as he was told?"

Rude smirked slightly. "Marlene is very…convincing when she puts her mind to it."

They all looked at Elena when her phone rang. She looked at the call display and her smile vanished.

"It's Tseng," she said before she answered. "Elena, sir. You did? Were there any casualties? Poison? And what about the subject? Very well sir. I will advise the team."

"Well? What is it? Is Tifa okay?" Loz demanded impatiently.

"Reno and Vincent were able to get Tifa," Elena said. "However, she has a severe laceration on her chest and it was done with a poisoned blade."

"That bastard," Cloud growled. "He reopened the scar he gave her!"

"He poisoned her?" Yuffie asked as she took Loz's hand in hers and squeezed it.

Elena nodded. "And Sephiroth managed to puncture Vincent with a poisoned blade as well."

Yuffie stiffened and stifled a cry before turning her head to the side. She took a moment to compose herself before looking at Elena out of the corner of her eye. "Will he be okay?"

"Tseng said Tifa and Vincent are being treated right now for their injuries and we can go see them right now, if you want," Elena said gently.

Marlene lifted her head again and looked at Loz. "I want to see Tifa, Loz."

He nodded. "Me too."

"We can take the van," Rude said as he held the door open for the others.

"What about Sephiroth?" Denzel asked as he tugged on Cloud's arm.

Elena sighed. "He got away."

Cloud looked down at Denzel. "Don't worry, Denzel. I'll make sure he pays for this…once and for all."

* * *

Vincent rotated his arm and winced slightly at the stiffness. The nurse smiled reassuringly.

"Your arm will feel better soon, Mr. Valentine," she said. "Cast cure on it again in two hours and it will be as good as new."

"Thank you," he said with a nod as he pulled his shirt on and began buckling it.

As the nurse walked out, Tseng entered. He stepped closer to Vincent and nodded slightly.

"How is your arm?" he asked.

"I've had worse," Vincent answered dryly.

"Miss Lockhart has been cured of the poison and her wound has been re-stitched," Tseng reported. "The new scar shouldn't be any worse than the original."

"Good," Vincent said as he pulled his red cape around his shoulders. "Tifa doesn't need anything else from Sephiroth."

Tseng again nodded. "Any clues as to where Sephiroth would have gone?"

Vincent sighed. "He could be anywhere. He had taken the children to the mansion, so he may even be there. However, Rufus isn't dead so I wouldn't put it past him to return and finish what he started."

"Rufus' blood transfusions have been completed and he appears to be coming around," Tseng said. "I may have to move him."

"It won't make any difference," Vincent said. "Sephiroth will find him. We just have to find Sephiroth before he returns for Rufus."

Tseng nodded. "I tried to tell him."

Vincent noted the intense guilt hidden in his eyes. Had he not been a Turk once, he would have said he deserved his feelings, but he understood it was not in a Turk's job description to questions orders. You were just supposed to follow them. "Tseng, you did what you could. If you had gone to Cloud or even me, Rufus would have seen it as a grievous betrayal and had you killed. If you had sabotaged him, the same thing would have happened. As a Turk, our job has never involved questioning anything the president says. We do as we're told and anything less will mean our death."

"I should have put everyone first," Tseng said quietly. "Rufus is more like a friend. He's not like his father…despite this error in his judgment."

"This is Rufus' mistake," Vincent assured him. "No one else can take the blame for this…not even his scientists."

"Excuse me, Director?" a young nurse said quietly as she opened the door. "President Shinra just regained consciousness."

Rufus winced as he tried to move when Vincent and Tseng entered the room. He looked at Vincent and rolled his eyes.

"Come to twist the knife?" he asked.

"Sephiroth already did that," Vincent said deadpan.

"Then your presence can only mean Sephiroth has moved on to others," Rufus surmised. "Has he found Cloud?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the president's petulant tone. "He went after the children that live with Tifa. He nearly killed Yuffie as she tried to protect them and then lured Tifa back to Nibelheim."

Rufus paled slightly and his hand shook as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes. "Are the children alright?"

"He released them once Tifa surrendered herself to him," Tseng said. "Rude and Elena found them in Nibelheim and took them back to Edge."

"Reno and I found Sephiroth in the process of splitting Tifa's chest again," Vincent said, deliberately making Rufus understand the exact consequences of his recklessness.

"Is she…?" Rufus asked quietly.

Vincent shook his head. "Sephiroth used a poisoned blade for his handiwork, but Reno gave her a potion that slowed the poison's effect. It was a strong poison. He stabbed me with a sword treated with the same poison and if Tseng hadn't arrived when he did, Tifa and I would most likely not have made it."

Rufus nodded. "I…I need to see Miss Lockhart."

Tseng looked at Vincent before looking at the president again. "Are you sure that's a good idea? She may be weak, but she is bound to be…upset."

Rufus nodded. "I know, but…I have to do this. I owe her this much."

* * *

Reno covered a yawn as a nurse checked Tifa's vital signs. He looked up at her and nodded towards the monitors. "Is she okay? Should she still be asleep?"

The nurse smiled sympathetically. "She should wake up soon. The anesthesia is just wearing off. Don't worry about her."

Reno nodded and leaned back in his chair as the nurse walked out. He watched Tifa breathing as she slept. "Did you see that? I didn't even hit on that nurse. I'm kind of proud myself. It must be your good influence," he said with a smile. It slowly faded from his lips as he sighed and leaned forward, taking her hand in his. "You can't die, babe. The Angel of Seventh Heaven can't leave her following…not yet. You're too young." She didn't move or even react. He sighed and leaned closer. "I remember the first time I saw you. I thought there was no way in hell that some floozy in a mini skirt and crop top could touch me. And then you started fighting and I thought, floozy? No way. More like an ass-kicking babe of my dreams! I really hated being on the opposite side of you, Teef. When I dropped the plate…I knew I'd never be able to repay the world for _that_ dirty deed. And the look on your face told me as much. You thanked me once for going after your kids when the remnants took them, but in all honesty, it was the least I could do for you after everything I've done in the name of a paycheck. So, you see? That's why you can't die. Who would make sure all of us lowlifes became respectable?"

"Who said you're respectable," Tifa murmured slightly.

Reno scooted over closer to her bed and took her hand in his. "Tifa? Are you okay?"

"Reno, I just got split up the middle," she said dryly as she looked into his eyes. "I feel like shit."

He smiled and laughed softly. "Sorry, babe."

She smiled slightly and shook her head. "Don't be sorry. Thank you for coming after me."

Reno gently kissed the back of her hand and smiled. "Wild mako monsters couldn't stop me…literally!"

The door opened and Vincent entered, relieved to see Tifa awake. "I'm glad you're awake Tifa."

"Thank you for coming after me, Vincent," she said softly.

He inclined his head. "I know you would do the same for me."

"I'm sorry we didn't get there sooner," Tseng said as he moved closer to Vincent.

She shook her head. "I thought I was going to die and since I didn't, you were right on time."

"Miss Lockhart, the president has requested to see you," Tseng said awkwardly. "If you are not well enough to see him, I will happily advise him that…"

"No, it's alright," Tifa said tightly. "I would love nothing more than to see him."

Reno smirked and looked up at Vincent. "Yikes! I'm glad I'm not the president." He turned and squeezed Tifa's hand gently before releasing it. "Go easy on him…but only because of your health."

Tseng held the door open as an orderly pushed Rufus' wheelchair into the room. Vincent looked down at him and narrowed his eyes.

"We'll be just outside," he warned him.

"Watch yourself, yo. She ain't delicate," Reno said as he followed Vincent.

"Let us know if either of you need anything," Tseng said neutrally.

Rufus nodded and waited for the door to click shut before turning and facing Tifa. "Miss Lockhart, please allow me…"

"Save it Rufus," she said tightly. "I'm reliving the worst day of my life and it is again thanks to the almighty Shinra Company! I thought you had changed. I thought you had learned from your father's mistakes. But you just proved some things, and some _people_ never change."

Rufus frowned and nodded. "I know. I thought I could fix the errors made in the past, but now I see that no matter what precautions I put in place, I can't control everything and everyone. I should have listened to Professor Howarth instead of sending him to Gongaga in favor of a man who studied under Sonji. It should have been obvious that a student of Sonji's would be a student of Hojo's, even indirectly. So many lives were lost again because of me. Sephiroth said every cut he gave me was a person he'd killed throughout his life as a product of Shinra. I thought he'd never stop naming the names of his victims."

"It's a wonder you're still alive," Tifa said harshly.

Rufus looked her in the eye and nodded. "I couldn't agree more. Sephiroth went after your children and if they had been lost, I would happily accept any punishment you saw fit."

Tifa's eyes filled with tears. "If he had killed them, I would have died from heartbreak." She wiped her eyes and sighed. "Rufus, I hate you so much right now for everything you've done…but, I need you."

Rufus snorted. "What could I possibly do?"

Tifa took a deep breath and told herself she was making a huge mistake, but she knew he was the best man to turn to. "When Sephiroth was torturing me, I begged for Aerith to come and take me to the Lifestream. She said it wasn't my time because Cloud and Loz still need me. But she also said Sephiroth needs me."

Rufus frowned and narrowed his eyes. "_Sephiroth_ needs you? For what?"

She shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. She didn't say. She just said that I'll know he needs me when the time comes."

Rufus shook his head. "Of course I'll help anyway I can, but I just don't know how I can help."

"I don't know much about Sephiroth before he came to Nibelheim," Tifa said. "I mean, I know what Shinra _wanted_ everyone to know, but outside of that, I know nothing. Cloud has said that Sephiroth seemed to get along with Zack and when they first arrived in Nibelheim, Sephiroth actually _offered_ Cloud personal time to visit friends and family before the mission started."

Rufus nodded. "He was always quiet and he only really got along with Angeal and Genesis, his fellow first class generals, and he eventually took a like to Zack. He never really seemed to like Hojo at all, despite the fact that he was his father. Though, I didn't like my father either, so that doesn't say much about anything."

"I need to know everything about Sephiroth before Nibelheim," Tifa said. "I know bits and pieces, but I have to know everything. And I need information about Genesis."

Rufus frowned. "Why do you want to know about Genesis?"

"When we first went to the reactor and the Genesis clones attacked me and the Shinra infantrymen outside the reactor, I saw a one-winged man enter the reactor. Zack called him Genesis and I can only assume he's the one who started Sephiroth on his journey of self-discovery. I want to know about him and their relationship."

"It was a weird relationship between them. They seemed at odds with each other most times and Genesis seemed to resent Sephiroth's title of The World's Hero. But they seemed to begrudgingly admire each other," Rufus said with a thoughtful frown. "I'll have Tseng bring you a laptop with access to our files, including our most recent research regarding Sephiroth."

* * *

Reno paced and looked at Tseng. "I don't hear anything breaking or any screams, so I guess that's a good sign."

Vincent nodded. "It's a _very_ good sign considering the danger the children were in."

"Vincent!"

The ex-Turk looked up and nodded towards Cloud. Yuffie ran past him and launched herself in his arms and hugged him tightly.

"I was so worried about you!" she said as she buried her face in his chest.

"How's Tifa?" Cloud asked.

"Much better," Tseng advised. "She came out of surgery well and the poison has been flushed out of her system."

Loz let out the breath he was hardly aware he had been holding. "Can we see her?"

Vincent, Tseng, and Reno all looked at each uncomfortably before Reno decided to bite the bullet.

"Before you do that, Rufus came out of his coma," he said nervously. "And…he's in there with her right now."

Cloud nodded slowly before looking at Loz. "I'll hold him down and you can punch him first. Then I'll punch him and you can hold him."

"Deal," Loz growled as they opened the door and stormed into the room. He walked over to Rufus' wheelchair and knelt in front of it as he pulled it closer to him. "You have five seconds to live, so make them count."

"Loz, no!" Tifa called anxiously.

He clenched his jaw and looked over his shoulder at her. "He is the reason the kids were in danger. Now I want to rip him limb from limb!"

"Give us one reason not to pull him apart, Tifa," Cloud said as he stood over Rufus threateningly.

"I need him," she said quietly.

By this time, everyone in the hall was standing in the doorway and most of them simultaneously asked, "For what?"

"Aerith said I have to help Sephiroth," Tifa said. "I don't know what she meant and I need Rufus' help to figure it out."

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "Aerith? Okay Tifa, I think we need to start at the top."


	12. Chapter 11: The Plan

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 11: The Plan**

Cloud's frown only deepened as Tifa recounted her conversation with Aerith as she begged for death. "How can you help Sephiroth?"

Tifa looked at him and shook her head. "Honestly Cloud, I don't know. She didn't say or even give me a clue."

Loz eyed Rufus suspiciously. "And _how_ exactly is _he_ going to help you?"

"There are some records that were permanently sealed," Rufus said as he shrugged. "Not even Tseng has access to those records, but I will make them available at once. While I'm arranging that, I'll leave you to be with your family."

"Are the kids here?" Tifa asked with a tired smile.

"They both wanted to make sure that you were okay before Elena and Rude take them to Corel," Cloud said. "Barret insisted on taking them to give you time to recover and to keep them as far away from Sephiroth as possible."

Tifa shook her head. "They'll be safe. He doesn't want them. He only needed them to torment me and make sure I chased after him alone. I'm sorry I was so stupid."

"You weren't stupid," Loz protested as he took her hand in his. "You went after the kids just like any of us would."

Cloud nodded. "You saved them and if we had all gone, we would all most likely be dead. Where would that have left the kids?"

Before she could answer, the door opened and Marlene and Denzel ran over to her and hugged her, making sure to avoid her bandaged abdomen.

"Tifa! Are you okay?" Marlene asked as she held her tightly around the neck.

"I'm fine," she assured them. "Are you okay?"

"Reno and the other Turks found us," Denzel said. "We didn't want to leave you Tifa."

She shook her head and smiled. "You did the right thing. Sephiroth didn't want you two so it was best you got away."

"We're going to let you three have a visit before the kids have to go," Cloud said as he and Loz got to their feet and walked out of the room shutting the door behind them. Cloud sighed and noticed the haggard look of Loz's face. He gripped his shoulder reassuringly. "She'll be fine."

Loz nodded and rubbed his eyes. "I'm gonna kill Sephiroth when I see him!"

Cloud smirked. "I'll be happy to help you." They both looked up when Vincent appeared in front of them, Yuffie clinging to his arm. "Vincent, what's Sephiroth up to?"

"He wants to bring Meteor down upon us again," he said simply. "Or something equally devastating."

"Well, we have to stop him," Yuffie said.

"I agree," Cloud said. "We have to figure out where that bastard is and…"

"We can't do that," Vincent said as he shook his head.

"Why the hell not?" Yuffie demanded indignantly.

"Aerith said Sephiroth needs Tifa's help," Vincent said. "If Aerith wants Tifa to help her murderer, there has to be a good reason."

"Like what?" Loz asked.

Vincent shrugged. "I don't know."

"Tifa couldn't possibly even _want_ to help him," Cloud scoffed.

"Aerith would not have asked her if she knew Tifa wouldn't do it," Vincent pointed out. "We have to give Tifa at least a little time to figure out what he could need from her and that means avoiding Sephiroth, yet keeping him interested in the chase."

"We'll have to leave him a lot of false trails," Yuffie said contemplatively. "But what about Tifa? Or even Rufus, not that I care about that maggot! What if Sephiroth gets bored and decides to come after them again."

"We will have to spread ourselves thin, but we can do this," Vincent said. "What we need are helicopters, doppelgangers for Cloud and Loz, and volunteers to be seen with them."

Cloud frowned. "What's your plan?"

"To orchestrate sightings of the two of you to keep Sephiroth busy while Tifa figures out what her part in all of this is," Vincent said.

* * *

Tifa listened intently as Vincent outlined his plan to Rufus, the Turks, Cloud, Loz, Yuffie, and herself.

"So, I'm taking a Cloud look-a-like with me to Wutai?" Yuffie asked.

Vincent nodded. "It will be under the guise of Cloud preparing your father's warriors for Sephiroth's potential return."

"And I'm taking a fake Loz with me to Nibelheim?" Reno asked.

"Yes, with the idea of making sure Sephiroth can no longer use the Shinra mansion," Vincent said.

"I'm going to Rocket Town with a Loz impersonator, right?" Rude clarified.

Vincent nodded. "Cid will be waiting to perpetuate the story that Loz is there to help him refit rockets to be able to blow Meteor out of the sky if necessary."

"And what about us?" Loz asked as he gestured towards himself and Cloud. "What exactly are we doing?"

"You are upgrading the WRO's motorcycles are you not?" Vincent asked.

Loz nodded. "Yeah."

"You are going to continue your work, but instead of working at the shop, Reeve said he can protect you if you work at the WRO garage and stay at the barracks there," Vincent said. "That way you can be close by, but still perpetuate the lies we're creating around the world with our doppelgangers. Cloud will continue to do his deliveries, but instead of staying at your apartment, you will stay at the new Shinra HQ in the Turk living quarters."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Vincent, I can take care of myself."

"If we don't carry this charade out, it won't work," Vincent disagreed. "If you insist on traveling alone and staying in your apartment, Sephiroth will know you are the real Cloud. That's why you are taking Elena with you as well on _all_ of your deliveries."

"Where are you going to be?" Tifa asked.

"I'm going to take a Cloud doppelganger with me first to Gongaga to speak with Professor Howarth, if he's even still alive," Vincent said. "And then I'm going on to what used to be Banora."

"What about Tifa and the president?" Rude asked.

"I'll be staying with them," Tseng said. "I've enlisted the help of some of the WRO infantrymen, along with the remnants of Shinra's army. We will keep them protected…better than the last time."

Vincent looked at everyone. "Any questions?" Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads. Vincent nodded and got to his feet. "Then we should get started immediately."

Loz shook his head as he stepped closer to Tifa. "This is fucked up."

She smiled and nodded. "I know, but Vincent knows what he's doing. You can trust him."

He nodded. "I know. I just don't want to leave you here alone."

Tseng stepped closer to them. "I understand. We have made provisions for you and Cloud to come and go as you please without alerting Sephiroth's suspicions should he choose to watch the two of you instead of following our false trails. Reeve will provide you with a WRO infantryman uniform so you can come with the shift changes. And Cloud, you'll find a Shinra uniform in your apartment at HQ."

Cloud made a face. "If it were anyone other than you Tifa, you wouldn't catch me dead in a Shinra uniform again."

Tifa smiled and hugged him. "I appreciate it Cloud."

Loz leaned in and kissed her once Cloud had stepped back. "I love you Tifa. We'll keep you safe."

She smiled and nodded. "I know."

Tseng followed them out of the room and looked at both men. "Rufus and Tifa are going to be moved to a room with shatter-proof windows and doors, as well as a security system they can arm from their beds should I be taken out."

Loz shook his head. "I can't believe this is happening again."

Cloud looked at Tseng. "This time, we're going to make sure there's nothing for Shinra to keep."

Tseng looked him in the eye and nodded. "Please, see that you do. Apparently Rufus can't resist temptation...just like his father."

Vincent approached the three men and looked directly at Tseng. "Have you heard from Professor Howarth or his colleagues?"

Tseng frowned and shook his head. "No. It's possible you'll find another massacre to clean up, Vincent."

"I'm used to it," he answered. "Cloud, you and Loz can keep in contact with me by phone. Given the remote areas I will be travelling to, calls to my phone will be forwarded to a satellite phone. If Sephiroth appears to have figure out our ruse, call me and I will recall the team."

Cloud nodded. "I hope this works."

"I hope Tifa can figure out what that Aerith girl wants her to do," Loz said.

"Be in your uniforms by nineteen hundred hours and you can make the shift change due at nineteen-thirty hours," Tseng said. "Then you can have the night with Tifa."

* * *

An hour later, Tseng entered the room Tifa and Rufus shared. Both were sitting up in the beds that were side by side, not speaking to each other. Tifa did, however manage a small smile as Tseng approached them. He set one of the laptops he was carrying down on the tray in front of Rufus and the other one in front of Tifa.

"Did you manage to connect the units together?" Rufus asked.

"Yes sir," Tseng answered. "Miss Lockhart's laptop is connected to yours, so you'll be able to log in as necessary and she can then access the necessary files you open for her."

"Perfect," Rufus said as he began logging into Shinra's mainframe.

Tseng looked at Tifa. "If you need anything, I'll be right outside that door, Miss Lockhart."

"Thank you, Tseng," she answered. Once they were alone, she turned and looked at Rufus. "So what exactly is so top secret that not even Tseng has the privilege of viewing?"

Rufus stopped his movements and looked at her. "You're going to see the notes that both Professor Hollander and Professor Hojo kept during the Jenova Projects G and S. No one has seen these documents aside from my father and myself. It details the creation of the first three SOLDIER first class generals: Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis. Also, as a Shinra General, Sephiroth was required to keep official logs and often kept a personal log and those are stored here, along with a few from Zack Fair just before the Nibelheim incident. You'll also get to see the reports Hojo kept of his experiments on Zack and Cloud. It's not pretty."

Tifa's lips thinned as she nodded. "I'm ready, Rufus."


	13. Chapter 12: Sephiroth's Nightmare

Author's Note: Again, i just want thank all my reviewers. I'm glad you all decided to take this journey with me and you are enjoying the ride as much as I am! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 12: Sephiroth's Nightmare**

Rufus looked at Tifa before bringing up a video file. "Before we start looking at his past, I have to see what happened to my people."

Tifa glanced at Rufus and felt bad for him. He knew it would be gruesome, but he still had to view it. She nodded and turned her face to her screen. "I'll watch it with you, Rufus."

"Thank you," he said before starting the surveillance cameras.

They both watched Sephiroth open his eyes before shattering the tube that held him with one punch to the surface. He kept his wing wrapped around his naked body as he disappeared through the warehouse entrance as Tseng and the scientists entered from the main hallway. Tifa narrowed her eyes as the female scientist checked one of the monitors and seemed to become angry.

"Any idea what happened there?" Tifa asked.

Rufus grimaced slightly. "She just discovered that Professor Xander had increased the mako in Sephiroth's stasis field without anyone's knowledge…including me. Tseng said she gave him hell."

"Good for her," Tifa said as she returned to footage in front of her.

They both flinched when the professor struck her before kicking her in the stomach. Tifa felt like she was watching a horror film when Sephiroth entered the room from the hallway and made his way over to the professor without his knowledge. He savagely grabbed the man by the back of the neck and threw him to the ground before piercing his abdomen with a sword and twisting it in his belly. Tifa expected him to smile maliciously or something, but his face remained impassive as he just stared down at the dying man coldly. _He _must_ be a monster to be so detached when being so brutal_, Tifa thought to herself.

When she watched him violently flip the table the other scientist was hiding under onto its side, she wanted to turn away. She was afraid for what he had in store for that woman, yet as she watched she became confused. Granted, he still handled her roughly as though her comfort was of no concern to him, but instead of brutally murdering her as he had her colleague, he simply slid a syringe into her arm before dropping her to the ground. Tifa frowned and looked over at Rufus.

"What just happened?" she asked.

He turned and shrugged as his icy blue eyes met her mahogany gaze. "Tseng said her autopsy showed she died of a mako overdose. It's a slow death, but relatively painless."

"Why would he grant her the mercy of a painless death?" Tifa asked with a frown.

Rufus thought for a moment. "Dr. Cross was the only one who ever took Sephiroth's continued threat seriously…aside from Tseng. And that was why I asked her to keep an eye on Professor Xander. I didn't trust him and she seemed to respect Sephiroth. Her colleagues said she was gentle when retrieving any samples from him and often talked to him as she worked. Some thought it was strange, but others thought she was smart to treat him as thought he was a normal person or patient."

"But Sephiroth was a monster," Tifa said as she shook her head.

"He wasn't always a monster," Rufus said quietly. "Unfortunately, Shinra made him one all for our own gain."

Tifa frowned and watched Sephiroth retrieve his borrowed sword from the professor's body before leaving the room. The footage continued as the multiple cameras throughout the new Shinra building tracked and showed his travels that led him out of the science division. He killed as he went, brutally slashing and maiming scientists as he went. It was a massacre that reminded Tifa of Nibelheim…so many people whose crime was being in Sephiroth's way. Eventually, Tifa had to look away and didn't return her gaze to the screen until Rufus assured her that it was over.

"How can that monster show mercy to a woman one minute and then rip other people apart the next?" Tifa asked.

Rufus shook his head. "I don't honestly know."

* * *

Sephiroth flinched as the needle entered his vein. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's for the greater good," Hojo said.

"Don't believe him," Angeal said as he grasped Sephiroth's hand and helped him into a seated position on the lab table. "You'll become a monster."

"We're all monsters," Genesis said with a smirk as he appeared beside them.

"My children are not monsters," Jenova said softly, her voice deceptively sweet and serene.

"Mother wants our help," Genesis said as Jenova caressed his cheek. "And we must do everything we can to help her."

Sephiroth frowned as they disappeared from the lab and ended up in the slums of Midgar, the plate still hanging above them. "I thought you wanted your SOLDIER honor restored."

Genesis smirked. "Of course I do Sephiroth, but I do enjoy tormenting our 'mother' so much!" Jenova hissed at him and Genesis chuckled. "Besides, you, of all people should know that SOLDIER honor is a lie that serves better as a punch line for a joke than anything else!"

"We all believed in it," Sephiroth said with a frown as he looked around the familiar slums.

"You never believed that lie," Angeal countered.

"I did," Sephiroth protested.

Angeal waved a hand and suddenly they were standing in the middle of Nibelheim as it burned in his wake. "Would a man who had any honor do this to a town?"

Sephiroth glared at him. "You don't understand. After Genesis told me the truth of how I was created, I spiraled out of control!"

"Of course," Genesis said dryly as he rolled his eyes. "Blame me for your mental instability. All things considered, I think I would prefer my physical degradation than having such a perilous grip on my mental faculties."

"You should feel no guilt," Jenova said soothingly. "You had to punish them for what they did to me…your mother." The scene before them changed yet again and Sephiroth watched himself ascend the stairs at the reactor towards the Jenova chamber. "They kept me locked away and no one wanted you to find me."

"I couldn't stop myself," Sephiroth murmured as he watched himself gently touch the door that separated him from Jenova.

"I'm sure _she_ understands," Genesis said mockingly as he pointed to a teenaged Tifa as she charged blindly up the stairs, wielding his blade.

Sephiroth watched as his past self easily stopped her assault before brutally slashing her with his blade and tossing her down the metal stairs.

Jenova caressed Sephiroth's cheek. "She wanted to stop you. You couldn't allow that."

"I…" Sephiroth began, but stopped as Genesis sauntered over to Tifa's fallen form and knelt beside her. He shrugged Jenova off as he moved closer and stood over Genesis threateningly. "Don't even _think_ of touching her."

Genesis raised his eyebrows and smirked up at his friend. "And why not? Surely you don't _care_ about what happens to this girl? Look what you did to her. How could I possibly do any more damage than what you have done? And correct me if I am wrong here, Seph, but didn't you _just_ give this girl another taste of your blade skills?"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "Genesis, I'm warning you…"

Genesis mockingly raised his hands to his heart in a dramatic gesture. "Oh no, the feared Silver General of Shinra is warning poor little me! I care not for you threats, my friend. Besides, a gentleman _always_ enquires about a young lady's health after an injury," he said with a smirk as he examined Tifa's wound. He clicked his tongue before looking up at Sephiroth again. "How could you mar such perfect flesh? There was a time when you would have found more interesting ways to amuse yourself with an attractive young woman. You should be ashamed for wasting such vile anger on such a beautiful young thing."

"Shut up," Sephiroth growled.

"The son of Jenova has no need of such weak-fleshed _children_!" Jenova snapped.

Sephiroth glared at Jenova, about to say something, but stepped back in surprise as Genesis got to his feet and helped Tifa to hers. She turned and faced him, her face ghostly white as the impossibly long gash on her chest continued to bleed heavily.

"I trusted you to help us," she said sadly. "I trusted you with my life and you killed my father. You nearly killed me. I thought you were the one good thing about Shinra."

Genesis chuckled maliciously as he stood beside her and gently grasped her chin, tilting her face so she was looking into his eyes. "That was your first mistake, milady. There was _never_ anything good about Shinra…least of all SOLDIER."

Sephiroth looked up as Zack's body was suddenly thrown from the Jenova chamber. He turned and looked at Sephiroth, his eyes bearing so much hurt and sadness that Sephiroth had a difficult time maintaining eye contact.

"My heart broke to see what you had done," Zack said as he stared at Sephiroth. He pushed himself to his feet and moved to stand on the other side of Tifa. "Genesis defected and had always treated me like I was less than dirt on his shoe. Angeal was my mentor…and my friend. I had to fight and kill him. You were all I had left and you did…_this_! You burned this town and tried to kill me. You tried to kill Cloud and Tifa too, and for what? Jenova?" he asked disgustedly. "Hojo came for me and experimented on me for years, but I escaped…only to end up like this."

Sephiroth watched in confusion as every bullet wound his body had taken at the hands of the Shinra infantry appeared on him and he became covered in blood. Hojo appeared behind Zack and nodded.

"His body took incredible damage before giving up," he commented as he made some notes. "My experiments were a success, despite his death!" He turned and looked down at Tifa critically, his eyes sliding lasciviously over her body. "It was a shame she was taken before I arrived. I would have liked to see what I could have done to her."

"You stay away from her Hojo!" Sephiroth snarled as the others disappeared, leaving just Tifa and Hojo with him.

"She has survived so much!" Hojo's eyes danced in the dwindling light as he looked at her. "Think of what the SOLDIER protocol could do to her! I'm sure she would be almost as deadly as you, if she survived the treatments that is."

Sephiroth shook his head. "No more SOLDIER! No more experiments, you twisted old fool!"

Hojo narrowed his eyes and glared at Sephiroth. "How dare you order me around? I think it's time for more mako treatments!" He grabbed Sephiroth's hair and pulled his head to the side before roughly sliding a needle into his neck, the mako making his blood burn as it entered his body.

"No!" Sephiroth yelled before sitting up quickly. He reached for his neck, but found no needle or puncture wound. He then looked around and found himself in the abandoned Shinra building in Modeoheim he had decided to take shelter in for the night. He was covered in a layer of sweat as his eyes darted around the room to verify he was alone and not stuck in his nightmare. He closed his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. "More nightmares."

_Your soul is tormented, Sephiroth._

He narrowed his eyes and looked around, half expecting the Cetra witch to appear before him. "Don't you have anything better to do, Cetra?"

_Your heart cried out in pain and I will always answer its calls_, Aerith answered.

"I feel no pain," he denied as he pushed himself to his feet and readjusted his long coat. It struck him as strange that a company, which wanted him forgotten would keep so many of his things, like his old uniforms.

_You need to stop denying the guilt you feel and allowing it to push you further down this path of self-destruction_, she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"When are you going to leave me alone?" he demanded to the empty room. "Why can't you just mind your own business?"

_Restless souls are my business, Sephiroth,_ she said softly. _You were a part of the Lifestream and your pain still torments this planet_.

He smirked. "Good."

_The pain you feel will end if you forgive yourself,_ Aerith assured him.

He laughed hollowly. "Forgive myself?"

_It is your guilt that torments your dreams,_ she said.

His smile disappeared. "I don't want to forgive myself because all I have done is for the greater good! Humans don't deserve to live, surely the planet agrees since they willingly allowed Shinra to rape its resources in the name of comfort!"

_The planet has no wish to die,_ Aerith countered sadly. _And death is all you have to offer this planet._

"The planet is already dying. Finishing it off is a small mercy it should accept!" he snapped.

She sighed audibly. _You seem to be offering mercy often, Sephiroth. That's a good sign, if you want to be forgiven._

"I'm not Cloud," he said with a smirk. "I do not seek forgiveness, nor do I seek the approval of others."

_Don't be afraid of failure_, Aerith said. _Forgiveness isn't as hard as you think it is_.

"I'm not afraid, witch!" Sephiroth hissed. He paused as her words sunk in. "I just know it's impossible to achieve…not after all that I have done and continue to do."

_Forgiveness is always possible, Sephiroth,_ she assured him. _No matter what has happened, you can always find forgiveness. You'll see what I'm saying is true very soon._

He frowned and looked around the room again. "What do you mean?"

_Do what you must do, Sephiroth, but when the time is right, seek out Tifa Lockhart,_ she said cryptically. _She will guide your way._

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. When she didn't answer, Sephiroth growled and took his anger out on a nearby crate, destroying it with one hard punch. "Tell me what you mean!"

_You'll see, Sephiroth,_ she answered serenely.


	14. Chapter 13: Tifa's Task Revealed

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 13: Tifa's Task Revealed**

Tifa rubbed her eyes before closing her laptop. Taking a crash course in Sephiroth's past was exhausting. Rufus hadn't been kidding when he said what she was going to be reading wasn't pretty. She had heard of Hojo's twisted experiments and had certainly seen the results of them, but to read in such great detail the lengths he went to in his experiments, made her blood run cold! The man was Sephiroth's _father_ and he risked his own son's life for the sake of science! What he subjected his young son to had been disturbing, yet he wrote about it as if was nothing more than a simulation! He referred to his son as 'subject one', a nameless project. She had wondered when she had first met Sephiroth in Nibelheim why he seemed so distant and cold. Now she had her answer.

Angeal and Genesis hadn't faired any better at Hollander's hands and were labeled 'failures', given to families who seemed to see it as more of a burden to have the small children…just part of their jobs as Shinra employees. Angeal's parents seemed to learn to love him and Genesis just became resentful of his adopted parents and Shinra. Sephiroth had told her he had defected and was hunted down, but now she saw the full extent of that hunt. His friends were sent to find and eliminate him while Shinra's propaganda machine sent out emails claiming his death. Rufus had explained that was just Shinra's way of trying to maintain their control on the rest of their employees since Genesis had been able to convince several SOLDIER members to defect with him.

Tifa glanced over at the sleeping president and shook her head. All of this seemed so…_normal_ to him while it just reinforced Tifa's opinion that Shinra was just out of control and was power hungry! Genesis had been so desperate to stop his degradation that he allowed Hollander to copy his genes onto the SOLDIER members he had taken with him. He trusted his creator and suffered the consequences.

"Aerith, why are you doing this to me?" Tifa moaned as she rubbed her eyes. She smirked slightly when she received no answer. "Not answering? How convenient."

She needed to take a break and was about to reach for a book Marlene had brought from home for her when the door opened. Tseng walked in with a Shinra and a WRO infantryman. He smiled slightly and closed the door behind them.

"You have a couple of anxious visitors," Tseng said.

Tifa smiled when the men removed their helmets and revealed themselves. "Cloud, Loz, I'm glad you're back."

"I still think this uniform is itchy," Cloud said as he pulled at the high neck.

"And how many buckles and straps does a man really need," Loz complained as he gestured to his own uniform. "My leather outfit has some unnecessary straps, but this is ridiculous."

"Ah, Cloud, you're back," Rufus murmured as he shifted slightly. "I think we need to talk."

Cloud sighed heavily before glancing at Tifa. "I'll be back soon."

"Take your time," she said as she watched Tseng help Rufus into his wheelchair.

Once they were alone, Loz sat on the end of her bed and gently squeezed her ankle through the blankets. "You look exhausted."

She laughed softly. "I _am_ exhausted. I always knew Shinra was shady, but their science division was _twisted_. No wonder Sephiroth slashed half the department when he escaped." She was quiet for a moment before looking at Loz again. "Do you remember any of Sephiroth's thoughts from when he was tormenting you and Cloud?"

He shrugged and nodded. "Somewhat."

"What did he think about?" Tifa asked.

"Well, at the time, he was very focused on killing me and Cloud, possibly you, though I could never tell his truth from his bullshit," Loz said dryly. "I remember more feelings than thoughts."

"What did he feel?" she asked.

"Lots of hatred," Loz said as he thought about it. "And a lot of resentment of people of I don't know, except mother."

"Who does he resent?" Tifa pressed.

"Well, a lot his resentment focused on some guy name Hojo and some chick called Lucrecia," he answered. "I guess Hojo and Lucrecia were his parents? Hojo created him so he could experiment on him, so he was pissed about that and the anger towards Lucrecia was due to her allowing Hojo to convince her that that was a good idea. He also has a _lot_ of resentment for Shinra in general since they funded Hojo's experiments. And he _hates_ Cloud. I always knew he did, but when I say he hated him, I mean he _severely_ hates Cloud. But what surprised me was his resentment towards mother, well, Jenova."

Tifa was surprised since he invoked his mother's name to excuse his plans as he is just giving his mother her desires. "He resents Jenova? Why?"

"Because her will overrode his," Loz said. "She was a force that he should have been strong enough to defeat, but his own mind was too weak to resist her desires so he allowed himself to be used. He gave up and decided he was nothing more than a monster, so he should start acting like one." Loz was silent before raising his eyes to Tifa's again. "I used to feel bad for him…secretly. I didn't want you to know I felt that way in case you hated me. He is full of rage and hate, but there is so much pain. Then he came after you again and this time he took the kids. That ended any pity I had for him because everyone's got issues, but not everyone makes destroying the world their mission! I could have wasted half of Edge because they treated me like a monster when I regained my memories, but I didn't and I'm just a remnant. If I can control myself, he should be able to too."

Tifa nodded. "I know. Gods, this is so hard! I don't know what I'm supposed to do to help him! I don't even think I _can_ help him. He wants me dead. He's not going to listen to anything I have to say."

"You are doing all you can," Loz assured her. "Don't let him get into your head. You won't want him there once he is there."

* * *

Cloud looked at Rufus and shook his head. "Showing all this stuff to Tifa is just going to mess with her head."

"It can't be helped," Rufus said. "She asked to see everything we have on Sephiroth and the Nibelheim incident. Unfortunately, your capture and…the procedures that were done on you are included there. I'm sorry, Cloud, but I just thought you should know. I thought she would already know the extent of the experiments."

"It's not a secret," Cloud sighed. "I've told her what I know, but…Hojo kept extensive notes and I don't want Tifa overwhelmed while still recovering."

"I will stay with her while the president is away for treatments or any other procedures that take him out of the room," Tseng assured him. "She'll never be alone."

Cloud nodded. "Fine. I'm going to go back and check on Tifa."

"We'll give you three some time alone," Rufus said.

Cloud turned and went back to the room Tifa was in. He opened the door and smiled when he saw Tifa lying beside Loz on the bed, snuggled in his arms, sleeping. Loz looked up and smirked.

"She fell asleep as soon as her head hit my shoulder," he said softly. "All her research into Sephiroth is draining her."

Cloud nodded and sat in the chair facing Loz. "It's going to get worse. She hasn't even started on his personal and field journals yet. Aerith better know what she's doing."

"Has she not spoken to you?" Loz asked.

Cloud shook his head. "No. I've called to her, but she's not answering. We just have to trust her and we have to trust that Tifa will be able to do whatever it is that Aerith wants her to do."

Loz nodded before narrowing his eyes. "I still want to rip Sephiroth apart."

"Yeah, me too," Cloud said with a smirk. "And I think the feeling is mutual on his part."

* * *

Tifa looked around and found herself in an endless field of flowers. "Aerith?"

The brunette appeared before her and smiled, looking just as she did the last time Tifa had seen her. _"Tifa! I'm glad you came."_

Tifa looked down at her hands before tearfully glancing at Aerith. "Please, tell me what I'm supposed to do. You said Sephiroth needs my help, but I don't understand! How can _I_ help him? He'll kill me before I even get the chance to help him! Just tell me what to do!"

Aerith smiled sympathetically. _"His soul is restless, Tifa, and you need to calm it."_

"How am I supposed to do that?" Tifa asked.

_"You have to forgive him for all that he has done,"_ Aerith answered.

Tifa's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "I'm supposed to _what_?"

Aerith sighed. _"I know it seems impossible, but…"_

"It doesn't just _seem_ impossible, it _is_ impossible!" Tifa fumed. "That man murdered my father, nearly killed me numerous times, burned my town to the ground, murdered more people than I can count, both in the past and in the present, including you, and countless other sins! Are you insane? I can't get past any of that! How could you even _ask_ me to?"

_"Tifa, you are the only one capable of this enormous task,"_ Aerith said softly. _"Cloud's heart and soul is too enraged and he is incapable of seeing Sephiroth as anything more than the monster that murdered me. You're heart holds room for many. You forgave his violent remnant enough to love him and trust him with your children and your heart."_

"Loz didn't murder my father!" Tifa countered.

_"He was more a part of the man who did than his brothers ever were,"_ Aerith said.

Tifa narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

_"Loz is Sephiroth's raw power,"_ Aerith said quietly. _"That same power was used to kill your father…and me."_

"That is not the same thing!" Tifa fumed. "Loz wasn't a conscious being then. He didn't have a choice…Sephiroth _did_ have a choice and he chose to strike my father down!"

_"Do you not see Sephiroth in Loz?"_ Aerith asked.

Tifa stopped for a moment. She thought back on his return and remembered the vague feeling of looking at Sephiroth and in the few moments Sephiroth used Loz's body as his own, the way he smirked and narrowed his eyes, never really blinking, always made her feel like she was staring at Sephiroth himself. Even after they thought Sephiroth was gone for good, Tifa found herself shivering at times when a turn of phrase or glance or smirk from Loz reminded her of the Silver Nightmare.

She narrowed her eyes and glared at Aerith. "Loz is a part of Sephiroth and will always look like him. The big difference is Loz is actually _sorry_ for what he's done!"

_"And you found it in your heart to see beyond his past transgressions and his physical resemblance to Sephiroth to the man Loz truly is," _Aerith said softly. She sighed and touched Tifa's shoulder._ "I'm not asking you to love your father's murderer…you just need to forgive him. The Lifestream won't accept his restless soul again because the planet is still healing and his torment causes the planet pain since he will always be in sync with the Lifestream. If he can't return to the Lifestream at peace, he will continue return and torment humanity, trying to bring down the destruction Meteor holds for any planet it touches. Tifa, if there was any other way…"_

Tifa shook her head. "Aerith, I just can't see past his sins."

Aerith smiled and took her hand. _"Yes you can if you look past his sins and allow your heart to see the broken soul he truly is, not the twisted monster Shinra created."_

Tifa sat up quickly and found herself in the hospital room again. It was morning and Cloud and Loz were gone. She looked over at Rufus and saw that he was still asleep. She rubbed her eyes and was about to lie down again when she noticed her laptop open on the tray beside her. She knew she had closed it before Loz and Cloud had arrived. She pulled the tray closer to her and found the page open to the table of contents of the files brought up. She sighed when she realized the computer had brought up Sephiroth's personal and field journals.

"You made your point, Aerith," she muttered as she reluctantly clicked on the first field journal.


	15. Chapter 14: Placing The Decoys

Author's Note: Cid's in this chapter so some of the language is going to be...colourful. ;D Thanks for all the story faves and reviews guys! You're all awesome! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 14: Placing the Decoys**

Vincent entered the laboratory in Gongaga and pursed his lips at the destruction he could only assume was left by Sephiroth. Computers were destroyed and files were strewn about the room.

"Looks like we were too late," Nori, the WRO infantryman disguised as Cloud said.

"Indeed," Vincent said. "But where are the bodies?"

"Maybe they escaped?" Nori suggested.

Vincent turned and looked at the man dressed as Cloud. "You don't know Sephiroth. He rarely leaves survivors."

"Mr. Valentine?"

Both men turned with their weapons drawn and the slender woman raised her hands defensively and squealed slightly.

"Who are you?" Vincent asked as he holstered his gun.

"My name is Yuki Frost," she answered shakily. "I was assigned as Professor Howarth's assistant when he arrived."

"Where is the professor?" Vincent asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know."

"What happened here?" Nori asked.

She swallowed convulsively. "Sephiroth came looking for the professor. I told him he had gone for the day and he demanded I tell him where he went, so I told him. Before he left, he wanted to know what we did here and I told him we were testing the soil and planting various plants to test the soil's ability grow vegetation. He didn't believe me and began tearing through our research."

"How did you survive?" Vincent asked.

She shrugged slightly. "When he discovered I was telling the truth, he just left."

Nori looked at Vincent before looking at the young scientist again. "He just left? No one was killed?"

She shifted slightly and Vincent narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

Yuki looked up at him and shrugged. "It may be nothing, but…he took some of our research findings with him…actually, it was Professor Howarth's research from before he came to Gongaga. The general asked me what I knew of a possible connection a man like him who had been exposed to high doses of mako along with an extended period of time in the Lifestream would have to the planet itself. I told him I didn't know because we weren't studying anything like that. That's when he just left and I think…I'm sure he went to find Professor Howarth."

Vincent nodded. "You are most likely correct. It's not safe to stay here. Please gather your colleagues and stay hidden for now, in case Sephiroth returns in a less forgiving mood."

Yuki nodded and ran from the lab. Nori turned and looked at Vincent.

"Why would Sephiroth want to know about his connection to the planet?" he asked.

"He is most likely looking for an alternative way to achieve his goal of destroying this planet without using Meteor," Vincent answered as they left the lab. "He doesn't have the Black Materia and may not be able to summon Meteor without it. If that's the case, he most likely wants to see if there is some way for him to manipulate the planet itself."

"Would he really kill the professor if he refuses to help him" Nori asked.

"In a heartbeat," Vincent said without hesitation. "But let's hope the professor escaped his wrath as well."

* * *

Cid eyed the man dressed as Loz and shuddered. "Ya look just like him and it's gods damned creepy."

"I thought you had made peace with the remnant," Rude commented dryly.

Cid smirked. "Of course I have Turk, but he's still creepy as hell especially since his eyes stayed the same color as Sephiroth's after their big battle." He turned and looked at the Loz look alike. "Tell me you can at least be as useful as that remnant."

The man smiled and nodded. "I sure can. I'm a technician for the WRO and Vincent sent me because I could at least help you while I'm here."

"You're spunky," Cid said roughly. "I hate that spunky shit. So am I supposed to call him Loz or what, Turk?"

Rude sighed at Cid's attitude. "That's the plan. We have to keep up appearances to keep Sephiroth fooled as long as possible."

"This is fuckin' crazy," Cid as he shook his head. "Alright, follow me, and don't start thinkin' this is a holiday for you, Baldy. You're gettin' put to work too."

"Great," Rude said dryly as he followed the other man.

* * *

Reno sauntered along the path towards the rope bridge leading to Mount Nibel, while the man disguised as Loz nervously followed him.

"Why are we going into the mountains?" the Loz look alike asked.

Reno turned and faced him while continuing to walk backwards. "What's your name, yo?"

"Kin Yaminashi, sir," the man replied.

"Listen Kin, you need to understand two things," Reno said. "Number one, I'm in charge and if I want us to go skinny dipping in a pool of pure mako, there's a good reason for it so don't question me. Number two, you're supposed to be a remnant of Sephiroth, the brawn of him, no less, so stop being such a wuss. We're going to retrieve my friend's irreplaceable motorcycle that psycho Sephiroth just abandoned in the mountains, so just deal."

Kin bristled slightly at Reno's condescending attitude. "Excuse me sir, but risking our lives for a _bike_ is crazy."

Reno smirked, unperturbed by the man's haughty tone. "Well, I can see why you would think so, yo, but if that bike is destroyed because you have been dragging your feet, you get to tell the remnant you were too scared to make sure the bike was returned. You don't need any of your limbs, right?"

Kin paled slightly. "Understood, sir."

"Sir? I like that," Reno said with a contemplative smirk as he turned around and continued walking towards their destination. "Keep on calling me that, man."

"Yes sir," Kin said sullenly as he followed the red headed ex-Turk.

* * *

Vincent entered the house he had visited the professor in before. It was in a similar state as they had found the lab. He shook his head when he noticed the trail of blood from the front hall into the living room. The two men followed it and found the professor sitting on the floor beside a sofa that his guard was lying on.

He looked up and sighed in relief. "Thank the gods you're here."

"Professor, what happened?" Vincent asked.

"Sephiroth showed up here and demanded all the information I had gathered about his connection to the planet," Professor Howarth said. "He was asking about his ability to manipulate the Lifestream."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "_Is_ he able to manipulate the Lifestream?"

The professor shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. The research I gathered before I was removed from the project seemed to indicate that he might be able to call upon the various WEAPON protectors of the planet or even change the rotation of the planet. I told him I didn't know for sure since I no longer had access to the data regarding the experiments Professor Xander was doing with his cells." The professor lowered his eyes slightly. "I asked him why he didn't question Xander himself and…he told me what happened after his escape."

"His bloodlust was hard to satisfy that day," Vincent murmured before looking at the unconscious man on the couch. "What happened to him?"

Professor Howarth looked at his guard and shook his head. "He tried to get in Sephiroth's way and he was thrown into a wall for his trouble, but once Sephiroth saw me, this young man was forgotten. He'll be fine."

Vincent nodded before pulling out his cell phone. "I want you and your guard to travel to Nibelheim. An ex-Turk is stationed there and he can protect you should Sephiroth coming looking for you once again."

"What about my colleagues?" the professor asked.

"He can't protect all of you," Vincent explained. "However, Sephiroth seems to hold little interest in them as he left them all unscathed. I will have the WRO send some infantrymen here to protect them."

The professor nodded before catching Vincent's gaze. "You were right about the road to hell being paved with good intentions, Mr. Valentine."

* * *

Sephiroth followed Rude back to the hanger where Cid and Loz were currently adapting a rocket to be remotely controlled from Rocket Town. Sephiroth had to give them credit for proceeding as though he may finally achieve his goals…and their plan may even work if he is able to call Meteor down again. The world had not been prepared the first time, but they weren't going to let that happen again, so Sephiroth was pleased he had found a viable alternative to using Meteor.

He made sure he was far enough away that the Turk wouldn't be able to pick up his movements and sense that he was following him. He had to learn their routine before making his move because his remnant was strong and so was the Turk with him. He wouldn't get a second chance if they discovered him before he was prepared. He saw his remnant crouched beside a rocket…but something wasn't right. He looked too…skinny.

Loz was bulky due to his muscles, so for him to be that skinny was almost impossible. Sephiroth quietly made his way around to the back of the hanger and quickly climbed a nearby tree before quietly landing on the roof of the hanger. One of the skylights was open, so he made his way over to the glass window. From the angle he was currently sitting at, he could clearly see Loz's face…or more correctly, he could see the face of the man _pretending_ to be Loz. A decoy! Very smart. Sephiroth reluctantly gave them points for leading him on a merry chase. However, it would end soon enough.

His ears perked up when he heard a cell phone ring and watched as Rude lifted the device to his ear.

"Yeah? We got here alright," Rude said. "No sign of Sephiroth though. Yeah, he could be watching me right now and I may not even know it. I checked in with Vincent. Did you and Cloud arrive in Wutai without incident, Yuffie? I'm sure he can whip them into shape for your father. Well, even basic SOLDIER training will give your father's warriors a leg up in a battle if Sephiroth chooses to go after Wutai again. Call me if anything happens."

Sephiroth smirked as Rude closed his phone and walked away. _So Cloud is in Wutai? I always enjoyed the weather there at this time of year_, he thought to himself as he leapt off the roof.


	16. Chapter 15: Sephiroth's Log Entries

Author's Note: This chapter focuses on Sephiroth's field and personal logs, so I must warn you, it may be a little dry. Enjoy! ;)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 15: Sephiroth's Log Entries**

Tifa stared at the journal entry, not ready to read the second one yet. Sephiroth's style of recording his reports was cold…just like him and because it reminded her so much of him, she was left with a feeling of his presence around her. It was enough to make her shudder. Rufus looked at her and nodded.

"That journal entry won't bite you," he said dryly.

She turned and glared at him. "If you weren't a Shinra, I might actually believe you."

"The field journals are the easiest ones to read," Rufus assured her. "He was always concise in his accounts. I think he just didn't like doing the paperwork. His personal journals will be the hardest."

"I'm sure he wasn't as deep in a journal that could be read by a Shinra executive at any time as he would be in a private journal," Tifa scoffed.

"Until his apparent 'death' at the Nibelheim reactor, his journals were encrypted by Hojo," Rufus explained. "He didn't want anyone seeing the weakness of his perfect monster, so he made sure no one could read them, not even my father."

Tifa was stunned. "How did you convince him to allow you access to them?"

Rufus smirked deviously. "Hojo was given an ultimatum. He could either hand the encryption codes over or his experiments would cease to be funded and he would be 'relocated' elsewhere on Gaia."

"Death or Sephiroth's privacy," Tifa mused. "Of course he viewed Sephiroth's privacy as of little consequence."

Rufus looked at her seriously. "Listen Tifa, I wasn't kidding when I said that these will be hard to read. I know you think you need to push yourself to get through all this information, but…just try to take breaks whenever you can, okay?"

"Okay, Rufus," she said as she nodded slightly. She turned her eyes back to the screen and sighed before clicking on the next journal listed there.

_Field Log two five six zero one:_

_SOLDIER first class Genesis Rhapsodos has disappeared, seemingly defecting from Shinra and taking several SOLDIER members of various class ratings with him. Shinra has dispatched Angeal and myself to discover his reasons for defection and to ascertain if bringing him back to Shinra will be possible or if termination will be necessary. Despite our best effort, we have not been able to locate Genesis. We are planning to investigate Banora in case he chooses to return to his home. Professor Hollander is behaving suspiciously and we will continue to observe him carefully as he may know Genesis' whereabouts._

_Field Log two five six zero two:_

_Hollander is indeed aware of Genesis' whereabouts and is actively hiding him. Angeal has gone missing as well and SOLDIER second class Zack Fair has been assigned to locate Angeal, his mentor. This was my recommendation since Director Lazard requested my attention to this matter. I am too close to both subjects to act with the appropriate detachment needed to attend to this matter. I am better used in final negotiations with Wutai to finalize their surrender. When I return I will join Zack in the quest to locate Genesis and Angeal while ensuring Hollander is found and arrested._

Tifa turned and looked at Rufus. "Why would you send Sephiroth or Zack to go after their friends?"

Rufus sighed. "That was not my call…but it was thought we would be able to throw Genesis and Angeal off if they were confronted by friends."

"But did anyone think of how that would affect Zack or Sephiroth to be the ones to destroy their friends?" Tifa asked incredulously.

Rufus turned and looked at Tifa. "They were SOLDIERs. Their thoughts and feelings in the matter were never a consideration. They were…"

"Just your company's tools in destruction!" Tifa snapped.

"I never said it was right," Rufus argued.

"But you never stopped this glorious tradition, did you?" she asked coldly. "You send your Turks to their possible deaths without a thought."

Rufus tore his gaze away. "Not anymore," he said quietly.

Tifa pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes before returning her gaze to the screen in front of her.

_Field Log two five six zero eight:_

_Zack Fair reported fighting and eliminating former SOLDIER first class Genesis Rhapsodos. Awaiting confirmation of his death before pursuing further orders._

_Field Log two five six zero one two:_

_Zack fought and terminated Genesis, though Genesis clones are still being spotted all over Midgar. I encountered Zack after he failed to reacquire Hollander. According to Zack, he was rescued by two Genesis clones, which means Genesis is most likely alive and not dead, as we had thought. I advised Zack that clones and monsters have been spotted in the slums of Midgar and dispatched him to the slums immediately to render assistance as needed. I will meet with him again for a debriefing once his mission is complete._

Tifa found what he _wasn't_ saying more intriguing than what was written in his logs. Though she had always known Sephiroth to be cold and detached, she found it hard to believe that Genesis' supposed death and return meant as little as it appeared to in his log entries. When he told her of Genesis' defection and the hunt for him afterwards, he had seemed angry…angry that his friend had been treated as such. But that couldn't be. Sephiroth cared for no one.

She shook her head and pulled up the next log…but froze when she saw it was in reference to Nibelheim. She knew she would eventually have to confront this part of his past, but it still wasn't easy to do. Her hand shook slightly as she clicked on the highlighted log.

_Field Log three six zero one two:_

_Shinra has had reports of problems with the reactor in Mount Nibel. SOLDIER first class Zack Fair and myself are being dispatched to attend to the reactor. Two Shinra infantrymen will also accompany us as well. One is native to Nibelheim. It may prove useful to have someone familiar with the area, though a guide through the mountains has been enlisted to ensure a timely arrival at the reactor. For some reason, this mission seems to make many at Shinra nervous, though I do not understand why. With the increased activity of Genesis and his clones, I can only assume the increased trepidation this mission is causing is related in part to this ongoing problem._

_Field Log three six zero one three:_

_We have arrived in Nibelheim and we have settle in at the Inn. The guide Shinra selected for us is younger than I thought and is a female. Though I do not doubt her ability to get us to our destination, I have concerns that she may become injured should we encounter an unanticipated number of monsters in the mountains. She is confident in her abilities to protect herself as well as her ability to see to it that we arrive at the reactor in a timely fashion. Though she is quite petite, I had the opportunity to observe her spar with Zack. I am satisfied that she is more than capable of defending herself, but the number of mako monsters reported recently may prove over-whelming. For her safety, I shall make sure she is kept out of harm's way at all times. Note to SOLDIER Director: in future ensure any civilian assistance is procured from no one under the age of eighteen as it should not be the burden of SOLDIER field personnel to inform parents of the untimely deaths of their young children._

It was strange, yet comforting to know that his dry, yet cold demeanor was not just a front for civilians, but also on display for his superiors as well. She found herself wondering if he had been made to deliver the news of untimely deaths many times or if he just didn't want there to be a first time for that.

Her musings were cut short when Tseng entered the room with an orderly and two Shinra infantrymen. Rufus sighed and threw back the covers.

"More physical therapy?" he asked irritably.

"Maybe we should just let you relax, sir," Tseng said with a shrug. "But maybe you should remember how impatient you were to get out of your wheelchair when you were sick with the stigma? You seemed hell bent on never being confined to one ever again."

Rufus smirked. "Touché. Let's get this over with. Tseng, make sure Miss Lockhart has everything she needs…and that she takes her breaks like a good girl."

Tifa glared at him. "I'm not a child, President Shinra."

"At least while I'm away being tortured with physical therapy, I can escape my surly roommate," he said before being wheeled out of the room.

"Pompous jackass," Tifa muttered before remembering she wasn't alone. She smiled apologetically at Tseng. "Sorry."

He shook his head and smiled slightly. "No apologies are necessary. Sometimes he is indeed a jackass and he is _always_ pompous." She smiled a little more and nodded. Tseng looked at her before making his way to the chair facing her. "And how is your research going?"

Tifa groaned. "It's horrific! Professor Hojo and Professor Hollander were bastards! The things they did to those three men…it's a wonder they all didn't go insane sooner! It was enough to make me grateful to read boring field logs."

"Sephiroth was never one to ramble in his field logs," Tseng agreed. "He was the one of the only SOLDIERs I was relieved to have any dealings with because I knew he appreciated silence. Most of the SOLDIER recruits embraced the idea of hostilities between the Turks and SOLDIER and would attempt to engage us in ridiculous debates. Sephiroth on the other hand was there to complete a mission and that was it. Talking was never necessary."

Tifa nodded slightly. "I understand why _you_ enjoyed it, but reading about his job is very boring and I'm not sure it's helping."

Tseng nodded. "Maybe it will be helpful later after you read Sephiroth's personal logs."

"Maybe," Tifa murmured. She was silent for a moment before looking at Tseng. "If I tell you something, will you keep it between us?"

"I'm a Turk. Secrets are my job," he said seriously.

Tifa bit her lip and nodded slightly. "I think…no, I _know_ what Aerith wants me to do."

"And that is?" he asked.

"She wants me to forgive Sephiroth so he can return to the Lifestream in peace," Tifa said bitterly. "I can't do it! I want him to feel pain and be tormented for the rest of his existence now and in the next life. I want him to suffer…just like I did. I know this planet is at stake…but I don't care."

Tseng considered her outburst calmly before shrugging slightly. "You can't force yourself to forgive someone and if that's what is needed, all you can do is try. Just consider this: Aerith was murdered by Sephiroth and she thinks you can forgive him. Would she ask you to forgive her murderer if she thought you weren't strong enough?"

Tifa nodded slightly. "I see your point." Tifa rubbed her eyes and returned her gaze to the screen in front of her.

_Personal Log two five six zero one:_

_Genesis has disappeared. What has that hothead gotten himself into now? Ever since that episode in the training room, he's been acting strange. Our 'fights' have gotten intense before and both of us have suffered a few injuries, but something's different this time. For some reason his body isn't healing properly. Hollander is useless and is being evasive. I have heard the rumors that Genesis defected and the disappearance of other SOLDIER personnel seems to confirm it. Lazard has asked me to search for Genesis and has enlisted Angeal's help as well, though I wish he hadn't gotten us involved. We are both too close to Genesis to be expected to 'handle' him as required. I may be a Shinra SOLDIER, but killing my friends isn't what I signed up for. I can only hope that Genesis comes back peacefully…but I know him better than that._

_Personal Log two five six zero two:_

_Angeal is missing now and the rumors suggest that Genesis has swayed him to his cause…though I highly doubt this. Angeal is a good friend and if anything, I think he may be trying to appease Genesis in an attempt to convince him returning to Shinra is the best idea. However, I think they both know something that I don't and Genesis' reasons for leaving have something to do with the SOLDIER program itself. Lazard again attempted to put me in charge of their surrender, as though they would really surrender. Shinra taught us better than that! I am far too close to this problem and I refuse to be the one to locate them because I am almost certain I will be expected to terminate them. I recommended Zack be assigned because Angeal has a soft spot for his 'pup'. If anyone could get through to Angeal, it will be Zack. His admiration of his mentor is so pure and he isn't burdened with the baggage most SOLDIER personnel carry with them…not yet anyway. He will have a Turk with him. I have worked with Tseng before and he will keep Zack focused. I only hope Zack can get through to Angeal, and even Genesis, before it's too late. I miss my friends._

Tifa re-read the last line several times as though that would make her believe what she was reading. Sephiroth had friends…and he even _cared_ about them. She had never imagined Sephiroth as having any friends. He seemed too cold and efficient to care about anyone other than himself. She also couldn't get over the honest expression of his emotion either. She had just assumed that whatever process SOLDIER members went through left them emotionally barren, but he was proving her wrong with his thoughts, though if the Sephiroth she had known for most of their twisted relationship knew that anyone, especially her, was reading his private musings, she was sure she wouldn't live very long after that discovery.

She shook her head and moved on to the next log entry.

_Personal Log two five six zero eight:_

_Zack said he had a confrontation with Genesis in which he fell…another friend gone. I had hoped that between the two of us, either Angeal or myself would have been able to convince Genesis to let us help him and to stay out of Shinra's way so that he could focus on finding a way to cure his degradation. But of course, Genesis being the spoiled brat that he is just couldn't allow Shinra to go on existing…though I have no idea why. He has never given us a reason for his actions…all he does is keep quoting that damn poem, Loveless, as if that is the answer to our questions. He seems to think we represent the three friends referenced there. One is captured, one flies away, and the one remaining becomes a hero…a hero. He resents my status as a hero. I am no hero and never wanted the title, yet he envied me that. If Zack has really killed Genesis, than the hothead should be thankful. He'll never have to face the reality that a hero is just a proficient killer on the winning side of a battle. Though deep down inside, I doubt Genesis has fallen…he most likely has merely flown away._

No wonder Sephiroth had fallen into madness so easily. He viewed himself not as a hero, but a common killer who was just really good at what he did. Gaia praised him as a war hero, Shinra even _named_ him the world's hero, yet Sephiroth didn't buy any of the hype…and he didn't even _want_ the praise.

Tifa frowned and rubbed her eyes. He was surrounded by colleagues, hero worshippers, women desperate to bed him, and men under his command that all looked up to him, yet what he wanted most of all was his two friends back. In a place surrounded by so many, he must have been so lonely…_stop it, Tifa_, she ordered herself. _You can't feel sorry for this monster! He killed your father, your town…and even a part of your heart. Many people face heartache, pain, and torment every day, even more traumatic than his problems, yet they don't go around wallowing in that pain and pass it off as madness!_ Tifa shook her head to clear her thoughts. She couldn't afford to hold on to her own vendetta against him…not if she had any hope of stopping whatever he had planned for the planet this time.

She supposed she should take a break, but part of her just wanted to get it over with. In the end she didn't get a choice. The phone in the room rang and Tseng moved to answer it.

"Yes?" he asked. "Yes, she's right here." He turned and handed her the phone. "It's Cloud."

She smiled and pushed the tray with the laptop aside before reaching out and taking the phone from the Turk. "Cloud?"

"Hey Tifa," he said with a smile in his voice. "I just wanted to check up on you. How are you doing?"

She shrugged. "I'm fine. They're going to try casting cure on my wound to see if they can erase the scar altogether. I'm still a little stiff and uncomfortable."

"That's good, but I was actually wondering how you're doing with your research," Cloud said awkwardly.

Tifa stiffened slightly before shrugging. "It's alright I guess. I didn't expect Sephiroth to be so…honest in his personal logs."

"Well, hopefully there's something we can use against him in there," Cloud said, causing Tifa to wince slightly.

"Cloud, I don't think that was Aerith's intention," Tifa said nervously.

"What else could she possibly want from you?" Cloud asked with a frown in his voice. "Forgiveness for a monster?"

"Maybe?" she said unsurely.

Cloud was silent for a moment. "Tifa, no one expects you to force yourself to forgive him. What he's done is _un_forgivable. Maybe you should stop pushing yourself and let the rest of us deal with him."

"Cloud, this is my fight too," Tifa said irritably. "In fact, this is _very_ personal to me."

"Tifa, I know it is," Cloud said, instantly regretting his choice of words. "Listen, only you will know what you need to do and if you need us we're here for you."

Tifa sighed. "I'm just really tired, Cloud. I'm sorry I bit your head off."

"After everything we've been through, I think I, of all people, can cut you some slack Tifa," he teased.

She smiled slightly. "That's true, Chocobo head."

"Reno is _such_ a bad influence on you," Cloud said dryly. "I have to go, but I'll see you soon."

"Bye Cloud," she said before leaning over and placing the phone in its cradle.

"He didn't believe you, did he?" Tseng asked.

"Nope," Tifa said before falling back on her pillow. "What's wrong with me? I _actually_ started to believe I _could_ forgive him!"

"Take your time," Tseng said. "No one has reported coming across Sephiroth with the men we have posing as Cloud and Loz, so don't push yourself."

"If I don't, it could be too late before we know it," Tifa said as she pulled the tray back towards her. She took a deep breath and resumed reading.

_Personal Log two five six zero one two:_

_Genesis is not dead, as we believed. Zack advised me as such after I found him in Junon after Hollander escaped again. We have had reports of Genesis clone sightings in Midgar and other areas, but those were the reports of civilians. To have a member of SOLDIER confirm the sightings is better received back at HQ. After I advised the pup of the clones in Midgar's slums, he seemed…anxious. It took me a moment to remember that he had met a girl there and had become very invested in her very quickly. That damn boy has a way of infecting everyone around him with his zest for life and eagerness to please. I couldn't stop myself from granting his unspoken request to return to Midgar. He was so grateful for this small kindness and as he left, he gave me a strange look. It was almost as though he thought he would never see me again unless I assured him he would…so I gave him what he needed: a promise to see him once more. I'm taking care of your puppy, Angeal._

Tifa remembered the friendly banter between Sephiroth and Zack when she had first met them in Nibelheim. She had often wondered how an established general like Sephiroth could have bonded with a young commander like Zack. And it broke her heart to know their bond had been forged in a pit of mutual despair over the loss of their friends.

_Personal Log three six zero one three:_

_Another reactor is malfunctioning, this time in Mount Nibel. Zack and I have been assigned to investigate, so it looks like I'll be keeping my promise to the puppy after all. Two infantrymen have been assigned as well, one of them even being from Nibelheim, a young man named Cloud Strife. Even with his presence, I have requested that Shinra secure a guide to see us through the mountains as quickly and safely as possible. I have no desire to become lost in the mountains with the amount of mako monsters now reported in the area along with the possibility of also running into Genesis or his clones. This whole mission is unnerving to me. Shinra is nervous…more so than normal. At first I assumed that it was because of Genesis' clones, but now…it feels as though they are nervous about me. Could it be they know of my nightmares? Are they more than just dreams? Could they be visions? I just don't know anymore. Somehow my life has become overrun with questions and no answers._

_Personal Log three six zero one three:_

_Ever since receiving the order to go to Nibelheim, my nightmares have increased. A woman is calling me to her, yet I have never seen her before. She calls me son and has silver hair…just like mine. Her calls used to stay in my dreams but now that we're in Nibelheim, her voice is speaking to me always. Am I losing my mind? Is it possible that whatever is causing Genesis' physical degradation is affecting my mind? Why do I feel as though I have been here before? I know I've never come here, yet the view from the second floor hallway seems so familiar. All I want to do is stare out the window…why?_

Tifa looked up at Tseng who was staring out the window beside her. "Was there any research into Sephiroth's nightmares?"

Tseng turned and looked at her. "He mentioned his nightmares? I have not seen his personal logs, but I did come across mention of his nightmares in his monthly psych evaluations."

"Sephiroth _had_ psych evaluations?" she asked incredulously. "How the hell did his potential psychotic break from reality go unnoticed?"

Tseng shrugged. "Surely his logs are proving to you his dislike for revealing so much personal information. Usually his evaluations were an hour spent in silence with the psychologist. He was never forthcoming so when he mentioned the nightmares, the psychologist made many detailed notes. As for your question, the doctor assigned to him for these evaluations tried to press him for details, but he refused to give any details."

"Heaven forbid he be taken off duty!" Tifa snapped irritably.

Tseng nodded and resumed looking out the window. "President Shinra and Hojo would never let their prized creation have any flaws and made the excuse that if it were a problem, Sephiroth himself would advise the proper authority as such."

"I'm glad those two idiots are dead," Tifa muttered before looking back at the screen.

_Personal Log three six zero one three (Additional Entry):_

_Zack insisted I meet our guide for tomorrow and now that I have, I question Shinra's policy on recruiting civilian help. I have no objection to having a female guide, nor do I object to that person being young, but she is only sixteen…a child! I have no problem risking the lives of the teenage SOLDIER recruits and infantrymen under my command because we all know the danger we will encounter, but a girl who has barely lived is another story. She is an exceptional martial artist without question and will be extremely impressive as her training continues, but SOLDIER first class recruits are impressive and exceptional too and still fall to enemies. I feel protective of her…just like I feel protective of Zack. I think it would be quite something to know her in her personal life, as well as maybe observe her further growth. Tifa Lockhart will be an impressive young lady one day and I hope I get an opportunity see her in combat in the future._

She _knew_ she had seen something in his eyes when they had first met. He had watched her spar with Zack and he had nodded approvingly as he watched her every movement, yet he had never said a word to her directly about her skill. In fact, he had gone out of his way to tell her he had very little faith in her at all.

_"Are you sure you can get us through the mountains?" Sephiroth asked her._

She remembered going from admiring his physical presence and how good-looking he was in person to instantly being insulted by the insinuation she was entirely incapable of assisting them.

_ "General Sephiroth, I played in the mountains my whole life," she said firmly. "I know them like the back of my hand. I'll get you where you need to go, don't worry."_

Tifa smirked slightly as she remembered the two infantrymen sharing a tense glance while Zack had raised his eyebrows and covered his mouth to hide his smile. Sephiroth on the other hand didn't even seem to register her clipped tones at all, though his eyes flashed with something…a combination of amusement and respect. Not many people talked back to _the_ General Sephiroth. Zack had confirmed it once Sephiroth had disappeared.

_ "I think he likes you," Zack said near her ear._

_ She turned around quickly and glared up at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"_

_ He raised his eyebrows and smiled. "Nothing bad. I was just saying that you put him in his place and he didn't knock you back down into _your_ place. With him, that's a compliment of the highest regard! We're all going to get along great!"_

She could feel her heart shifting. Thoughts of Sephiroth had always been cold and filled with hate for her…now she felt her heart sink at the pain and loneliness of the man she thought she knew.

Tifa covered her eyes and drifted away in her own thoughts, but was startled into awareness as Rufus entered the room. He settled into his bed before waving off his orderly and Tseng. Once they were alone again, he smirked at Tifa.

"Still refusing to take breaks?" he asked. She just looked at him as tears began to fall from her eyes. He frowned and slowly pushed himself out of his bed. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as he shuffled towards her.

"He wasn't always a monster, was he?" she answered as she rubbed her eyes.

Rufus lowered his eyes. "No. He was created to _be_ a monster…but he didn't always have the rage inside him until our lies were exposed."

"I don't know if I can stop him," Tifa confessed before leaning back and rolling onto her side. "I just…please just leave me a lone for while."

Rufus nodded and slowly returned to his bed, leaving Tifa to her twisted and tired emotions.


	17. Chapter 16: Plan Revealed

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 16: Plan Revealed**

Yuffie frowned as she wandered around her father's palace. She hadn't seen Juno, the man impersonating Cloud, for a while and she was worried about him. It wasn't unheard of for a person to become lost in her home if they had ever been there before. She sighed as she approached some warriors.

"Hey guys!" she said cheerfully.

They in turn all fell to their knees and averted their eyes. The captain of the group was left to answer her.

"How may we assist you, your highness?" he asked timidly.

Yuffie rolled her eye and impatiently gestured for the men to rise to their feet. "Gawd, guys! Gimme a break! Stop with all that highness and bowing crap! Have you seen Cloud?"

"He said he was going to do a perimeter check," the captain said.

Yuffie waved impatiently before bounding down the hall. "Thanks guys!"

She figured it would make sense for Juno to start in the gardens so she immediately made her way out there. It was a sunny day in Wutai, so she raised her hand to shield her eyes. She scanned the open area before heading for the watchtower. As she made her way along the stone path, she noticed something moving in the bushes. She smiled and shook her head, assuming it must be one of the pets her father allowed to roam the grounds.

She pushed through the bushes that towered over the path and smiled as she expected to encounter a cute fluffy animal, but gasped when Juno's body landed beside her. She immediately fell to her knees beside him and began checking him for fatal wounds. She found none…just evidence of receiving a brutal beating.

She winced when a strong hand grabbed her by the upper arm and pulled her to her feet. She could feel the tears building as she found herself once again facing The Demon of Wutai.

"Sephiroth?" she choked out.

He narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "This is the second imposter I found in place of my puppets." He pulled her closer to him. "Where are they princess?"

She shook her head. "I don't know," she lied.

"What is the plan behind this deception?" he demanded.

"To keep Cloud and Loz safe from you as long as possible," she spat. "You clearly have a mind for vengeance! Tifa certainly is proof of that!"

His eyes darkened at the mention of Tifa's name. "And where is _she_? Are there imposters of her running around Gaia?"

"She is recovering from your brutality, you monster!" Yuffie snapped.

Sephiroth roughly pushed her away, sending her to the ground beside Juno. "A monster," he mused. "This reminds me of a fairytale told to children. A beast and a beautiful girl who needed each other to survive. I have apparently been cast as the beast and Tifa is the beauty. I say this because I have recently been informed that I need Tifa. If my two puppets fancy themselves as her heroes, and we both know they do, they will not want to stray far from the beauty in fear of the beast finding her. So, I have my answer and you will not tell a single soul, girl."

Yuffie's scream died in her throat as Sephiroth's spell of silence and petrify claimed her body.

* * *

Elena watched Cloud inventory his delivered items with curiosity. He looked up when he felt her eyes on him and smirked.

"What? I thought you Turks were familiar with unending paperwork," he said dryly.

She smiled slightly and shrugged. "I guess I'm just surprised you take this so seriously. I know you've battled Sephiroth and saved the world twice and everything, but to be honest, most of the time…you seem like a flake."

He raised his eyebrows. "A flake?"

"Yeah," she said as she nodded. "No one could ever get a hold of you and never returned anyone's calls…you're still kind of slow with that, by the way, and you always disappear without telling a soul. That's kinda flakey Cloud."

He grimaced slightly. "I see your point. I'm getting better though."

She smiled and nodded. "There's a _slight_ improvement. At least you're not as moody!"

He chuckled softly. "True."

Elena nodded, her smile dimming slightly. "I know you're worried about Tifa. But don't worry Cloud. Tseng is there and he will protect her. We'll lure Sephiroth into a fight and make sure he doesn't get near her or the president!"

"Can Tifa trust Rufus?" Cloud asked doubtfully. "He has a long history of half-truths and flat out lies."

Elena nodded. "I know he does, Cloud. But this time we can trust him because Sephiroth actually got to _him_. We didn't save him and now he truly understands the pain Sephiroth caused you and your friends. I don't think he would even wish his torture at that monster's hands upon his worst enemy!"

Cloud nodded. "I hope you're right, Elena." They were interrupted when Cloud's phone began to ring. He looked at it and frowned before opening it. "Yuffie?"

"Cloud! Am I glad to talk to you! I couldn't get that damn vampire boyfriend of mine on the phone and…"

"Yuffie, just spit it out," Cloud said impatiently.

"Fine," she snapped. "Sephiroth knows we have decoys out for him and I think he's heading back to New Midgar. Happy?"

"Why would he return to New Midgar?" Cloud asked.

"He knows Tifa is still recovering from his assault and he figured that the only place you and Loz would consent to be is near her side at all times. That's what's sending him your way!"

"Well, then Loz and I need to find him first," Cloud said before snapping his phone shut.

"What is it?" Elena asked as she hurriedly mounted Fenrir behind Cloud. "What did Yuffie say?"

"She said Sephiroth knows about the clones and figured out that Loz and I would stay as close to Midgar as possible to be near Tifa," Cloud explained as he settled his goggles in place. "We have to get to Loz and get the hell out of Midgar before Sephiroth returns and goes after Tifa."

Elena held up her hand before he could start Fenrir. "Before we go anywhere, we should inform Vincent." She pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number.

* * *

Vincent looked around the remains of Banora and shook his head. Shinra destroyed a town to cover their mistakes. He knew better than anyone the evil Shinra was capable of, but it never ceased to amaze him and anger him to see the lengths they would go to in order to cover up their mistakes.

"What happened here?" Nori asked.

"One of Shinra's SOLDIER first class came from Banora and after he defected, the town was destroyed in a vain attempt to destroy him and his legacy," Vincent explained. "But it was all for not. It only served to strengthen his resolve."

"Why are we here?" Nori asked.

"The SOLDIER who defected was a friend of Sephiroth's and disappeared without a trace," Vincent said. "Of course, Shinra would like for us to believe he's dead, but we all know Shinra's policy is to lie whenever questioned. I was hoping to find some trace of Genesis here. His home was very important to him."

"Genesis? Didn't he wreak havoc on the world?" Nori asked with a frown. "Why are you hoping to find him?"

"Genesis discovered he was a monster," Vincent explained. "And he used that to help him find a cure for the degradation his body was suffering. SOLDIER first class, Zack Fair recorded a personal log before his death stating Genesis wanted to regain his SOLDIER honor…and he found it after their battle. If Genesis is alive, I was hoping that we could find him and convince him to join our fight against Sephiroth."

"And what if he decided to join Sephiroth?" Nori asked.

Vincent turned and faced the man dressed as Cloud. "Even if he wanted to, he would first have to convince Sephiroth to join forces and the last time he tried that, he only succeeded in throwing Sephiroth into the pits of madness. Sephiroth will not accept his friend's offer. He most likely blames him for his fall from grace in Nibelheim."

"He is not the only one."

The two men turned with their weapons raised and faced the owner of the voice. Vincent slowly lowered his gun as a tall man with short auburn hair and red leather coat appeared behind them. Vincent noted the SOLDIER uniform and red sword in his right hand.

"Genesis?" he surmised.

The man smirked and bowed mockingly. "In the flesh. And who are you?"

"My name is Vincent Valentine," Vincent answered.

Genesis raised an eyebrow. "Vincent Valentine? Are you not the Turk who was assigned to protect Sephiroth's creator, Hojo during the great experiment?"

"I was," Vincent answered coldly. "Though I stopped being a Turk when Hojo killed me."

Genesis smiled. "Undead or immortal?"

"Unsure," Vincent answered. "Though I haven't aged in thirty years, I'm going to assume immortal."

"Your story is intriguing," Genesis said thoughtfully. "We will need to find an opportunity to discuss it further, but for now we can discuss your current predicament. Did you mention Sephiroth?"

Vincent inclined his head. "Sephiroth went insane after you last saw him in the reactor. He researched your claims and discovered the truth in your words. He descended into madness and burned Nibelheim to the ground. He found Jenova's body in the reactor and severed her head, intending to take it with him, but was stopped by a Shinra infantryman named Cloud Strife. They battled in the reactor and Sephiroth fell into the open mako pit."

"A horrible death, I'm sure," Genesis murmured.

Vincent shook his head. "He didn't die. He was merely encased in crystallized mako until he had regained his strength. He managed to call Meteor down and Jenova's calamity again began to fall from the sky. The planet defended itself and Cloud again faced Sephiroth and sent him into the Lifestream. But Sephiroth wasn't finished."

"A minor inconvenience like death would not stop the Almighty Sephiroth," Genesis agreed.

"Sephiroth created three remnants of himself to locate Jenova's remains," Vincent continued. "One of his remnants succeeded in that goal and Sephiroth was able to achieve physical form once more, though Cloud defeated him again and his remnants were destroyed. However, the Lifestream returned one remnant back to the planet with no memories of his mission to find Jenova. Sephiroth again attempted to make his return through this remnant, but because the Jenova cells were not active he needed another source of cells. After the Nibelheim incident, both Zack Fair and Cloud Strife were the subjects of Hojo's twisted experiments, which resulted in Cloud receiving Jenova cells. Sephiroth used his ability to connect with Cloud and the remnant to draw them back to Nibelheim where some active Jenova cells remained and was able to bring himself back with his own body. Cloud and the remnant succeeded in killing him and the Lifestream refused to accept his body. Shinra made sure we thought he had been destroyed, but they healed his wounds and kept his body as they once kept Jenova."

"A source for unlimited cells and potential experiments," Genesis surmised as he shook his head.

Vincent nodded. "And as usual, Shinra's right hand didn't know what its left hand was doing. A scientist introduced too much mako into Sephiroth's stasis field and he was able to regenerate. He went on a rampage and killed many scientists before going after Rufus Shinra directly. Now he is on the loose and looking for revenge."

"And this…Cloud Strife cannot handle him again?" Genesis asked.

"Sephiroth is growing stronger with each return," Vincent said. "It will be difficult. Cloud was not a SOLDIER first class and doesn't have the training Sephiroth does. It was my thought that having a first class on our side may be an advantage."

"And is Zack the puppy incapable of rendering assistance?" Genesis asked with a smirk. "Or did he finally have his spirit crushed into bitterness by Shinra?"

"Zack was killed by Shinra after his escape from Hojo and last battle with you," Vincent said.

Genesis' smirk faded as he nodded. "I don't know if I will be any use to you, ex-Turk. Sephiroth was always better than me and as you said, my last meeting with him ended in his madness."

Vincent was about to say something when his phone rang. He looked at the display and frowned. "Elena? What's wrong?" Nori and Genesis both watched Vincent as he listened to Elena. "Is Yuffie alright? I'm sure he will return to New Midgar at once. Does Loz know? I'll get in touch with Reeve and have him get Loz ready to meet you. Inform Tseng to prepare for Sephiroth's return and make sure the president and Tifa are safe. I'm on my way back."

"What happened?" Nori asked with a frown.

"Sephiroth knows of our decoys and is returning to Midgar," Vincent answered. "He will most likely return for Tifa in order draw out Cloud and Loz." He turned his gaze back to Genesis. "Will you help us?"

Genesis tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "I wouldn't be much help against Sephiroth."

"That's not an answer," Vincent said.

"I need more time," Genesis answered.

"Time is a luxury we don't have," Vincent insisted.

Genesis held his gaze and the men just stared at each other.

* * *

Professor Howarth had just opened the door to the Shinra mansion when Reno and Kin appeared in the hall arguing.

"Listen, kid, I have to go and you have to…" he stopped when he saw the professor in the hall. "Professor Howarth? Perfect timing, yo. I'm Reno, the guy Vinnie told you about. But the plans have changed. Sephiroth is on his way to Midgar and I have to go. Kin's gonna look after you."

"But what if he comes back here?" Kin asked anxiously.

Reno turned and glared at him. "Man, you are so lucky I'm not a Turk anymore or I would shoot your ass for being an annoying little wuss! He ain't coming back here, yo. He's after the real thing now. Now stay here and protect this guy, though I'm sure he'd do a better job protecting himself than you would."

The two men watched Reno turn and run out the front door to the waiting helicopter. He slid the door closed behind him before making his way into the cockpit. The pilot looked at him in surprise.

"Um, sir, I can…"

Reno grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him out of the chair while simultaneously grabbing the headset from his head. "No time to argue. You can co-pilot, but I'm piloting this thing so sit down and get comfortable!"

* * *

Reeve entered the garage and found Loz sitting on a stool with an engine in pieces on the workbench in front of him. Loz heard his footsteps and turned to face him.

"Reeve? Is something wrong?" Loz asked as he got to his feet, his brows settling into a frown. "It's not Tifa, is it?"

"Loz, Sephiroth knows of the deception," Reeve said calmly. "He is returning to New Midgar and is most likely going to head for Rufus and Tifa in order to draw both you and Cloud out into the open."

Loz narrowed his eyes. "Where's Cloud?"

"He is going to meet you in the New Midgar town square," Reeve answered. "If Sephiroth comes in from Edge, he will have to pass through the town square to get to the hospital."

Loz nodded. "I'm on my way."

Reeve stopped him though. "I think your disguise may give you an advantage."

Loz sighed at the thought of wearing the itchy and restrictive uniform, but eventually agreed. "Tell Cloud I'll meet him there soon."

* * *

Sephiroth smirked at the screams from the civilians around him. His reputation, it seemed, would always precede him. He confidently walked through the streets of New Midgar as he familiarized himself with the new layout of the rebuilt city. The hospital was just across the town square, as it had been in the original Midgar. If Cloud and Loz were there, all the better. It would save him from finding them. And if they weren't there, he would still have Tifa to lure them out…and maybe she would be able to tell him just what Aerith had been babbling about when she said he would need to seek out Tifa's help.

"Sephiroth!"

He smirked as he came to a stop on the other side of the fountain. "Cloud. It's good to finally see you. Your decoy in Wutai didn't do you any justice. He fell so easily."

Cloud calmly walked around the fountain, followed by a few WRO soldiers. "Yuffie said you figured out our plan. I knew you would."

"Why delay the inevitable, Cloud?" he asked.

"Tifa deserved time to heal from your cruel attack," Cloud said as his eyes darkened with anger. "And the children deserved time to escape your easy grasp on them."

"You still care for the children?" he asked with a mocking smile. "Why? They have _my_ remnant to replace you."

Cloud shook his head. "You still don't get it, do you Sephiroth. He may have been a remnant of you, but now…you're a remnant of _him_. He is what you could have been if you had been strong enough to resist the will of a _dead_ alien!"

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes. "You speak of that which you do not understand, Cloud. I am not a remnant of _anyone_!"

"Except Jenova," Cloud said with a cruel smirk.

Sephiroth tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to provoke me, Cloud? If you wanted a rematch, you only had to ask."

Without a word both men drew their swords and ran towards each other.

* * *

Tseng observed Tifa sleeping and the laptop closed. He turned and looked at Rufus who was staring at Tifa.

"Did she finish the logs?" Tseng asked.

Rufus nodded before dragging his gaze to Tseng. "She did. What is all this about? Why would her friend force her to read everything like that?"

"It's all about forgiveness," Tseng murmured as he again looked down at Tifa.

"What?" Rufus asked with a frown.

"It's nothing, sir," he answered as he looked at the president once more. "Sephiroth has been spotted in New Midgar and Cloud has engaged him in battle. Elena will be here shortly, while Rude and Reno are heading directly to Cloud's location to render assistance. Vincent is also on his way back."

Rufus nodded. "Good. Hopefully, they can stop him."

* * *

_ Tifa, you have to go! Your research is finished and you know what you must do,_ Aerith urged.

Tifa sat amongst the flowers and sadly looked at the beautiful blooms. "Can't I just stay here?"

Aerith sighed. _Tifa, you still have so much to give to our friends._

"I have no right to bestow forgiveness on anyone," Tifa said as she looked at her hands. "I've hurt others too. I don't know how to forgive."

A pair of black leather glove encased hands gently squeezed her clenched fists. _It's not as hard as you think. You just say, Tifa, I forgive you for taking your anger out on me and telling me you hate me._

Tifa looked up in surprise. "Zack?"

He smiled and nodded. _It's true Tifa. I know you were just angry and to be honest, I hated Shinra that day and for the rest of my days on the planet too. When I saw Cloud go to you in the reactor and heard your conversation, I vowed I would protect him and make sure he made it back to you so I could at least feel I did something to ease your pain. Sorry I couldn't deliver him myself._

She smiled through her tears and nodded. "It's okay. And Zack…I am so sorry that the last thing I ever said to you was that I hated you."

Zack smiled and got to his feet, gently pulling her with him. _It's okay Tifa, really. I understand. Now it's time to go. Seph needs you._

Tifa turned and smiled at Aerith. "I'm ready, Aerith."

Aerith smiled and nodded before the world around them brightened in a flash before dissolving into darkness that swallowed Tifa whole.


	18. Chapter 17: Sephiroth and Tifa, Part Two

Author's Note: It's the big confrontation we've all been waiting for! Tifa and Sephiroth come back together for another confrontation! YAY! But it also signals the end drawing near. Sad times! But there will still be more to come after this so fear not! :D Again I want to thank everyone who has reviewed and everyone who is reading the story. This is my first time writing Sephiroth as a main focus and the support makes me happy! Enjoy everyone!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 17: Sephiroth and Tifa, Part Two**

Tifa sat straight up in the bed and gasped startling both Tseng and Rufus. Tseng hurried over to her and touched her shoulder.

"Do you need a doctor?" he asked.

She looked up at him blankly before shaking her head. "No. I'm sorry. I just…I need to find Sephiroth."

"No one _needs_ to find Sephiroth," Rufus said with a frown.

"No, I mean, I finally know what he needs," Tifa clarified as she pushed the covers back. She winced at the sharp pain her quick movements caused, leaning forward as she grasped her chest while Tseng reached out and steadied her.

"You are in no condition to face him," he said with a critical frown.

"Tseng, Sephiroth won't wait," Tifa said. "And…Aerith was right. He _does_ need me."

"Tifa, are you okay?" Vincent asked from the doorway.

She smiled in relief to see him and nodded. "Yes, but I have to get out of here! I have to get to Sephiroth."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure that's a wise idea? You haven't healed one hundred percent yet."

"I don't need to fight him," Tifa said as she shook her head. "I don't have a lot of time…and I need his Masamune."

"I must put my foot down," Rufus said as he attempted to look commanding from his hospital bed. "That blade is dangerous and in his hands…"

"He doesn't need his Masamune to be deadly," Vincent reminded him. "One of your own Shinra blades did the damage you suffered Rufus. If Tifa says she needs it, give it to her."

Rufus raised his eyebrows when Vincent lifted his gun and aimed it at him, while Tseng simultaneously lifted his gun and aim it at Vincent.

Tifa sighed and shook her head impatiently. "We don't have time for this. Just tell me where the blade is, Rufus. I need it."

"For what?" he asked with a confused frown.

"I need it to gain his trust," she said.

Rufus looked at Vincent and Tseng eyeing each other before nodding his head. Tseng lowered his gun and looked at Tifa.

"It's in my office in the Shinra building," he said.

"I can take them there, sir," Elena said from the door. "Rude is on his way and Reno should be landing soon."

"Return here at once when they have the sword," Tseng said.

Elena nodded. "Once you get dressed Tifa, we'll head over there right away."

* * *

Cloud's body hit the ground hard a few feet away from where Sephiroth stood. He looked up at his nightmare and glared at him as he stubbornly pushed himself to his feet. Sephiroth smirked as he approached Cloud, only stopping when the WRO soldiers lifted their weapons and began firing at him. Sephiroth easily unfurled his wing and leapt into the air before turning his body downwards and speeding toward the men with his sword drawn. They began to scatter…except for one. A larger man crouched down before propelling himself into the air on a direct collision course with Sephiroth. Sephiroth smirked and refused to back down, continuing his descent towards the WRO soldier.

Their bodies collided and knocked each other off kilter, sending both men to the ground. Sephiroth landed in a crouch before straightening to his full height while the other man slid backwards before his feet were able to grip the pavement below him. He too straightened to his full height once he had regained his balance. He slowly rolled his neck before he began to saunter forward.

Sephiroth tested the weight of his sword in his left hand as he smiled mockingly. "You can't hide who you are, Loz. It's like fighting a mirror."

Loz reached up and pulled his helmet off and glared at Sephiroth. "And that's where it ends. There are no more similarities."

Sephiroth glared at the man that was so familiar, yet completely different than the remnant he had created. He wasn't supposed to be a whole being…he was just a piece of him…the uneven emotions and his brute strength, yet he had carved out a piece of heaven for himself amongst the people he was sent to destroy…and it enraged Sephiroth.

Sensing his anger, Loz threw his helmet at Sephiroth to catch him off guard before launching himself at the ex-General with his enhanced speed. Sephiroth recovered easily and blocked Loz's hits easily before launching into his own assault against his former remnant.

Cloud blocked a near hit from Sephiroth aimed at Loz's heart and the two men fought against Sephiroth. All three men were vaguely aware of the sound of helicopters above them. Sephiroth growled and jumped backwards before looking up and taking note of three helicopters hovering around the town square.

"Ah, reinforcements," Sephiroth said with a smirk as he watched Rude, Reno, and Yuffie exit from three different helicopters before the machines lifted back into the air. He then heard the sound of a large aircraft and saw Barret and Cid descend from the Shera while Nanaki bounded along the street with Cait Sith on his back. "It's only fair I give them some playmates!"

Loz frowned when Sephiroth raised his hand and summoned forth the shadow beasts he and his brothers had been able to control when they had first arrived. Cloud lowered his sword and looked at Loz.

"Just when I was getting to like New Midgar, Sephiroth has to start summoning things that will destroy it," he said dryly.

Loz smirked. "Meh, I always preferred Edge."

Both men charged after Sephiroth who was of course waiting…and ready for them.

* * *

Tifa held on to Vincent's waist as he maneuvered a motorcycle along the streets of New Midgar, Sephiroth's Masamune secured the side of the bike. She closed her eyes and focused on everything she had learned. Excerpts from Zack's journals played in her head.

_ When Seph gave me permission to return to Midgar and find Aerith, I nearly died. The ever stoic General Sephiroth actually had a heart! Well, I knew he had one, but for him to put it out there…the least I could to was to not make it awkward for him. I know he hates that touchy-feely stuff. If it had been anyone else, I would have hugged him right then and there! But Seph is not a hugger!_

Tears welled up behind her closed eyes as she remembered Zack's description of Genesis' revelations to Sephiroth about his creation.

_I can't believe the things Genesis said to him…he called him a monster. Sephiroth isn't a monster, no matter what Hojo did to him! All of us SOLDIER recruits have been enhanced by the mako and even if they did inject those Jenova cells into Sephiroth and create him from hundreds of failed monster experiments…none of that matters! Sephiroth isn't just the enhancements! Sephiroth is who he is because of himself…I just hope he realizes that. When I tried to see him at the old Shinra place, he…turned me away. He looked so…desperately sad. I've never seen him like that._

It was Zack's last log Shinra had kept in relation to the Nibelheim Incident and it broke Tifa's heart to know that Zack found out the hard way that even the greatest heroes could fall from grace…hard. As she had lain on the floor of the reactor, she had heard Zack yelling at Sephiroth and asking him why he had destroyed Nibelheim and hurt her. The heartbreak in the young man's voice told her everything she needed to know. Zack lost just as much as anyone else that day and it was up to her to put an end to the pain…she just hoped Aerith was right and that Sephiroth would accept her help.

* * *

Cloud blocked another hit from Sephiroth as Loz landed heavily beside him. Cloud managed to push Sephiroth back slightly before dropping a cure materia into Loz's hand.

"Here you go," he said as he moved to stand in front of him to prevent Sephiroth from attacking Loz before he had a chance to use the healing materia.

Loz quickly absorbed the materia and cast cure on his battered body. "I don't know how much more I can take."

Cloud nodded. "I know how you feel, but just keep thinking about Tifa. If this bastard gets by us, it's only a matter of time before he finds her."

Loz nodded and pushed himself to his feet. He glared at Sephiroth. "Where were we?"

Sephiroth smirked and ran towards them with his sword aimed high while he threw an energy blast towards them. He chuckled maliciously when both men fell to the ground once more. He stood over Cloud as he tried to recover from the blast, but he had absorbed the most energy.

"It's time to cut the strings on my favorite puppet, Cloud," Sephiroth said as he raised his sword.

"_My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey in my own salvation…and your eternal slumber_."

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, his attention temporarily drawn away from the two men struggling to regain their footing. He turned and glared at the familiar face. "Loveless."

Genesis smirked. "I won't bother being impressed that you still remember since you will only say it is because I have beaten it into your head."

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Sephiroth asked as he approached the other former SOLDIER.

"One could ask you the same thing," Genesis mused. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Oh, how the mighty have fallen, Sephiroth. Once a great hero, loved by all and now a raving madman…a monster truly befitting of a child's nightmare."

"The madness is gone," Sephiroth said with a smirk. "All that remains is my desire to fulfill mother's desires for this pathetic planet."

"Still doing as mother wishes?" Genesis asked. "That sounds a little crazy to me."

"Are you going to propose another joining of forces?" Sephiroth asked dryly.

Genesis tilted his to the side before narrowing his eyes. "After your rude rejection of my last overtures, I think not. No, I came at the request of your _true_ mother's protector, Vincent Valentine. He seemed to think your two puppets might need my help."

"You've never been able to beat me before," Sephiroth taunted before gesturing to the two men slowly getting to their feet. "And they are losing quite well on their without any assistance from you."

Genesis looked over Sephiroth's shoulder critically before returning his gaze to his former friend's face. "I don't know, Sephiroth. It looks to me like they may just need a break. I see you are without your precious Masamune."

"I don't need it to defeat you, Genesis," Sephiroth assured him condescendingly.

Genesis smiled with a malicious glint in his eyes. "Good. Shall we, General Crescent?"

Sephiroth smirked. "We shall, Commander Rhapsodos," he answered as he attacked Genesis.

"Commander? Now, now, Seph! You know I achieved the rank of General before the ugliness between," Genesis said with a smirk as he blocked Sephiroth's attacks.

"But it took you such a long time to get there," Sephiroth taunted as he in turn blocked his friend's attacks.

"Slow and steady wins the race. Besides, General makes me sound old," Genesis said with a smile as he easily blocked more attacks. They both took a step back and sized each other up. "This is just like the old days in the simulators."

"Except this time, you can die," Sephiroth reminded him.

"As can you, my friend," Genesis said as he attacked Sephiroth.

"One can hope," Sephiroth rejoined dryly as he blocked Genesis' attack.

"Is that Genesis?" Reno asked as he appeared beside Cloud.

"Apparently," Cloud said as he watched the two famous SOLDIERs battle each other as though the rest of the world didn't exist.

"I thought he was dead, yo," Reno said as he shook his head.

"It's a good thing he's not," Loz said with a smirk.

"Um, a little help here guys!" Yuffie called as she held off countless shadow beasts.

Reno, Cloud, and Loz turned away from the SOLDIER battle and ran to help their friends.

* * *

"We're almost there, Tifa," Vincent said over his shoulder.

"I can hear the terrified screams," Tifa said humorlessly.

"Any idea what you're supposed to do?" Vincent asked.

Tifa shrugged and sighed. "I think I'm just going to have to play it by ear, Vincent…and pray to the gods that I don't get myself killed."

* * *

Genesis leapt through the air and his blade harshly clashed against Sephiroth's blade. He didn't want to admit it, but he felt so alive as he battled his former friend. The thrill of the fight unleashed his inner fire in a way nothing else did. Sephiroth never held his punches in the past and the anger with which he now fought added the element of the unknown to their interaction. He was unpredictable and that made their fight more…exciting, for lack of a better word.

They both moved fluidly through their attacks and the entire fight became a graceful dance of violence between two fallen angels, both battling for dominance. Yes, it was an interaction Genesis missed very much in the time he had been in 'retirement' and as their swords again met, he found himself wondering if Sephiroth felt the same way…or perhaps he was too far past the point of no return to enjoy the pleasure of their favorite past time in their former lives.

Sephiroth cut through his thoughts with a particularly brutal blow to Genesis' midsection. The general was smirking down at the redhead as he dodged another blow. Then Genesis saw Sephiroth's hand begin to glow seconds before a blast of energy sent him flying backwards.

"I was content to have this just be a stand up fight, Sephiroth," Genesis smiled. "But, if we're going to bring materia into this, then so be it."

Genesis smirked as he unleashed his mastered fire spell on Sephiroth and successfully had him surrounded with the flames. But of course, Sephiroth was able to break free…just like he always could. Sephiroth smirked at Genesis.

"You need to learn a few new tricks," he said as he bore down on his former friend. "This didn't work in the simulators, so what made you think this tired old trick would work in the real world?"

Genesis smiled and drew his hand along his blade, infusing it with power before raising it. "Ah, but old tricks can always be improved upon, old friend." He attacked Sephiroth mercilessly and when he finally had him on the defensive, Genesis smirked and took the opportunity to call upon a large ball of fire from his materia in the palm of his hand. "This would have worked if Angeal hadn't stopped me in the training room."

Sephiroth snarled when Genesis lifted his hand to press the flames into Sephiroth's face. He managed to cast a barrier between them, but the power from Genesis' fire spell sent both men to the ground violently.

Genesis shook his head before raising his hand to his forehead and sitting up…only to feel the tip of Sephiroth's blade pressing into his throat. He looked up into his former friend's eyes and knew the Sephiroth he had always known was no longer the soul that owned his body.

"It's time for you to join Angeal," Sephiroth said hatefully.

Genesis smiled slightly. "It would be an honor to see our old friend once again, Sephiroth. I think I will enjoy our reunion."

"Stop!" Cloud yelled as he and Loz appeared behind Genesis. "It's over! We'll stop you and we'll keep stopping you for as long as it takes!"

"You can't stop me anymore," Sephiroth said with a maniacal chuckle. "I can use my connection to this planet's Lifestream and control its WEAPON guardians! I can use them to destroy this planet and every living soul on its soil!"

Cloud's brows drew together as the ground began to shake. He returned his gaze to Sephiroth and frowned when he saw his pupils fade as his eyes took on an eerie glow, not unlike the one visible eye of Jenova. "Don't do this Sephiroth!"

"Finally, my mother's will is realized!" Sephiroth said as he raised his hand, the sky darkening almost instantly.

"Sephiroth!"

His smile faded as he looked to the right and saw Tifa approaching him. She was dressed in a pair of black pants, a simple pair of black flats and a wine colored sweater. She didn't look like the fighter she had become…more like the innocent girl whose life he destroyed all those years ago.

_Go to her_, Aerith urged. _It's time, Sephiroth_.

He slowly pulled his blade away from Genesis, allowing the man to scramble to his feet and move to stand beside Cloud and Loz.

"Is that girl insane?" Genesis asked quietly.

"I hope not," Cloud muttered.

"Are we really going to stand here and watch her commit suicide?" Loz demanded hotly under his breath.

"We have to trust her," Vincent said as he appeared beside Loz. "This is what Aerith told her she needs to do and if we have any hope of stopping Sephiroth once and for all, then we must stand by and let Tifa do this."

Tifa watched nervously as Sephiroth approached her. It took all her training to force her body to relax and not run away as fast as she could. His eyes glowed brightly and frightened her even more than his eyes normally did. His gaze fell from hers and rested on his Masamune she held in her hands. He raised his gaze to hers once more and smirked.

"Are you going to attack me?" he taunted. "Are you finally going to take revenge on me for what I did to your father?"

She slowly shook her head and turned the weapon so the handle was pointed at him and the blade was pointed in her direction before lifting it in offering to him. "No Sephiroth. Vengeance is a vicious cycle that keeps us spinning and I want to get off this ride."

He regarded her with suspicion before he grasped the handle after tossing the other sword to the side. He smirked at the familiar weight of his blade in his hand and sighed in contentment before looking down at Tifa again. "You are foolish to return my sword to me."

She shrugged. "You seemed to do a very good job of tearing Rufus apart with a borrowed blade and you split me open again just as efficiently as you did the first time. I'm sure you could kill me quite easily with can opener if you needed to."

"I can put an end to this ride you no longer want any part of," he offered softly as he slowly lifted his blade.

"Before you kill me, I need to tell you something," Tifa said quickly. "I know what you did for your friends."

Sephiroth's smile faded. "What?"

"I know you tried to give Genesis and Angeal time to escape the night you and Zack went after them," she said.

Sephiroth narrowed his eyes as he flashed back to the night he had tracked Genesis and Angeal to reactor five in Midgar.

_"Once Sector Eight is clear, come to Mako Reactor Five," he had said to Zack as soon as he had answered his phone._

_ "Have you found something out?" Zack had asked, hope and fear tingeing his voice simultaneously._

_ "Angeal has been sighted," he answered._

_ "So, it's search and destroy?" Zack asked coldly._

_ "The army is mobilizing, but there is still time," he had informed him. "You and I will find them before _they_ do, and…"_

_ "And what?" Zack had demanded angrily into the phone._

_ Sephiroth had pulled the phone away from his ear and rolled his eyes. "…Fail to eliminate them."_

_ "For real?" Zack had asked, a blatant hope coloring his voice._

_ "Yes, for real," he had answered with a smile and a soft chuckle._

"It won't work, Tifa," he said as the memory faded.

Undeterred by the growl in his assertion, Tifa pressed on. "I know you allowed Zack to return to Midgar because you knew of the girl he was falling for."

Sephiroth was annoyed to realize he could almost feel the warmth from the Junon sunset on his skin as he remembered the look of anxiety that washed over the young SOLDIER's face when he mentioned the sightings of the Genesis copies in the slums of Midgar.

_"Genesis copies have been sighted around the world," he had informed Zack._

_ Zack had been surprised. "That can't be. We wiped out those copies."_

_ "They have been sighted in Midgar," he said, adding as an after thought, "The slums too." Sephiroth remembered the look of worry and concern as Angeal's puppy thought about the girl he had met. His duty as SOLDIER conflicted with what his heart wanted him to do. Sephiroth could see the pain written on Zack's face and his lips twitched slightly before tilting his head knowingly. "Permission to return…granted"_

_ At first Zack was confused, not sure why the General was granting his unspoken request. "Uh…yeah."_

_ "Take care," Sephiroth had said before turning away from the younger man._

_ "You too," he said uncertainly. He began to walk away but stopped and turned to face Sephiroth again. "What's going on in Modeoheim?"_

_ "The device Hollander was using has been stolen," Sephiroth answered flatly._

_ "Genesis?"_

_ "Probably," Sephiroth had acknowledged. He looked up over at Zack who again seemed nervous and unsure. He smirked slightly. "We'll meet again soon."_

_ Zack smiled slightly before backing away slightly. "I'll hold you to that."_

_ Sephiroth smiled and shook his head slightly as he watched Angeal's puppy walk away from. His friends may have been gone, but Zack filled the void…for a while._

The rumbling of the ground shook him from his thoughts and he narrowed his eyes again. "You are treading a fine line indeed. I suggest you stop before I take your tongue!"

Tifa stood her ground and shook her head. "I know you cared about Angeal, Genesis, and Zack. I know you offered Cloud the opportunity to visit his friends and family when you came to Nibelheim."

"Shut up," Sephiroth demanded through clenched teeth.

"And I know you admired my martial arts skill," she continued stubbornly. "Even though I was so young. And I know you felt protective of me _because_ I was so young."

"Your youth didn't stop me from destroying your life without a second thought," he said with a sneer, though a memory of telling Cloud to protect her while he and Zack were occupied inside the reactor pierced his memory.

"I know," she said quietly. "And I also know what Hojo subjected you to…even though you were his son."

_"Are all these injections really necessary?" Sephiroth asked almost every time he had blood work done._

_ Hojo performed all the tests and injections Sephiroth received personally and he grew weary of being asked the same questions month after month. "You are Shinra's prized asset, my boy. If you want to stay that way, I need to monitor your health. My answer will not change no matter how many times you complain!"_

_ Sephiroth looked away as the scientist drew more blood. "What if I don't want to be Shinra's poster boy for the SOLDIER program anymore?"_

_ Hojo looked at him over the top of his glasses and narrowed his eyes. "You don't have a choice in this matter."_

_ "Father…"_

_ Hojo slammed the freshly taken samples down on the table beside Sephiroth. "How many times must I tell you _not_ to call me that?"_

_ Sephiroth stiffened at the tone of his voice and the murderous rage that rested behind his eyes. He again turned his head away from his father. "That will be the last time, Hojo, I assure you."_

_ Hojo nodded and picked up a chart. "It's time for your mako treatments. They are due for an increase, so the pain will be more intense, but that's nothing you can't handle. After all, you _are_ the perfect SOLDIER."_

_ And handle it he did. He couldn't remember the last time he had screamed out in pain…though the punishment he had received at Hojo's hands for showing any weakness the first time was something he would never forget._

Sephiroth's hand quickly reached out and wrapped itself around Tifa's throat as he pulled her closer. "I will kill you!"

She reached up and wrapped her hands around his wrist. "And…I…forgive you, Sephiroth."

His grip on her throat lessened slightly as he frowned at her. "What?"

"I forgive you," she repeated as she tightened her grip on his now trembling arm.

"I killed your father! I burned your home to the ground! I murdered your Cetra friend in cold blood and you _forgive_ me?" he asked incredulously.

"You were in pain and had been for a long time," Tifa said tearfully. "I know you weren't always a monster, Sephiroth."

_Listen to her, Sephiroth,_ Aerith pleaded. _She is offering you a gift…one you won't even grant yourself._

"I've done too much," he protested.

_And that's why you needed her,_ Aerith said soothingly. _You can finally find your peace, Sephiroth and finally find your rest among us. You don't have to hang on anymore. Let go of your hate and your bitterness and look into her eyes. You'll see her heart is true and that she is telling you the truth when she offers you her forgiveness._

Sephiroth looked down into Tifa's eyes and saw too much: her pain, her sadness, her pity…and her forgiveness. The darkness remained, but the shaking stopped and the shadow beasts faded into the ground once more. His hand fell away from her throat completely, Tifa's words of understanding feeling like a soothing balm spread over his jagged emotions, the hate melting away.

Tifa kept her eyes locked on his and watched the glow fade as his eyes returned to their normal state. "Sephiroth?"

His gaze seemed to focus at the sound of his name. "I've never even apologized to you."

Tifa nodded. "I still forgive you."

His frown deepened. "I…don't know what to do."

The dark clouds began to part as a bright white light pierced them. Tifa and Sephiroth both looked to the left and watched in awe as the silhouette of two men appeared in the light; one with two wings on his right shoulder and the other without wings. Genesis' mouth dropped open as he slowly moved closer to Sephiroth and Tifa.

"It can't be," he murmured. "After so long…"

Angeal smiled as he looked at Zack. "Did you ever think you'd see the day that both Gen _and_ Seph were speechless?"

"Nope," Zack said with a smirk as he shook his head.

Angeal looked at Genesis. "It's been a while, my friend."

Genesis nodded. "It has been indeed, Angeal."

Angeal turned his gaze back to Sephiroth. "You've been forgiven, Sephiroth…and now it's time to come home."

"If you're ready," Zack added with a smile.

"Home?" Sephiroth asked with a frown.

"Remember how you told me and Cloud that you don't have a home?" Zack asked. "Well, it turns out that you actually _do_ have a home…the Promised Land, Seph."

"I…am I really finished?" he asked as he looked at his friends. "I have wasted so much time."

"You've earned this rest," Angeal said. "We have suffered greatly and now you don't have to anymore. There will be no more nightmares, Sephiroth."

Sephiroth looked at Genesis. "Can I really go?"

Genesis smirked. "You're The Great General Sephiroth. You can do anything you want, remember?" His smirk melted into a smile as he touched his friend on the shoulder. "You've been given a great gift. Don't waste it by staying here."

Sephiroth nodded before his eyes slid to Tifa's face as he shook his head. "How could you forgive me?"

Tifa looked at Angeal, Zack, Genesis, and Cloud before lifting her eyes to Sephiroth's gaze. "What you all went through broke my heart, Sephiroth. Your own parents made you what you are and they did it on purpose. I didn't…I would never have even guessed a father would…" She tore her eyes from his as she composed herself. She took a few breaths before returning her glassy gaze to him again. "You did…horrific things to me and my friends and this planet, but horrific things were done to you everyday of your life. People will still hate you and despise you, but…I hold no hate in my heart for you…not anymore."

"The gift of the goddess, Sephiroth," Genesis murmured.

Angeal stepped back. "Come on, old friend. It's time."

Sephiroth stared at the ground before slowly lifting his gaze to stare at the world around him. He stepped closer to Tifa, noting Genesis reaching for his blade reflexively. He smirked at his friend's instinctively protective gesture before focusing on Tifa.

"Thank you," he said softly before turning to face Zack and Angeal.

Together, the three men turned and walked into the light, Sephiroth's wing curling around his shoulder before he disappeared from Gaia.

"Okay, what the _hell_ did I just see, yo?" Reno asked as he frowned and scratched his head.

Loz hurried over to Tifa and swept her up in a hug that lifted her from the ground as he kissed her face. "Are you okay?"

She smiled and nodded. "I'm fine, Loz."

Genesis stepped back as the rest of Tifa's friends surrounded her and hugged her. He turned and found Rude and Vincent standing off to the side and slowly sauntered over to them.

"Well, Vincent Valentine, you sure know how to show a guy a good time," he said dryly. "All that's missing is dinner and a relaxing glass of wine."

"The night's still young," Rude said. "With these people, dinner is a good possibility and Tifa owns the best bar in Edge. She's bound to have a good wine or two."

Genesis smirked and nodded. "Well, I should probably stay around for that. Living in isolation usually means less than exciting meals and you know what they say about a person who drinks alone."

"I dislike interrupting their celebrations," Vincent said nodding to the group of people still talking amongst themselves. "However, the president will want an update. If you prefer to stay out of his line of fire, Genesis, all of us will understand."

"And miss out on watching that man squirm at the sight of the SOLDIER they could never repress?" Genesis asked dramatically. "I've never backed down from a confrontation before and I am not about to start doing so."

Rude raised an eyebrow before smirking slightly. "This day just keeps getting better and better."


	19. Chapter 18: All's Right With The World

Author's Note: While Sephiroth has departed the living, we haven't seen the last of him! So Telya, just hang in there and we will see Sephiroth once again! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 18: All's Right With The World**

Tseng slowly rose to his feet when Genesis entered the president's room. The tightening of his lips was the only betrayal on his face of the emotions he felt. He stepped between him and the president.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Tseng asked coldly.

Genesis smirked. "I've been getting that a lot lately."

Rufus waved Tseng aside impatiently as he looked for Tifa. When she appeared, he visibly relaxed. "You're alright."

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"And Sephiroth?" Rufus asked.

"Sephiroth has finally returned to the Lifestream…permanently," Vincent said. "Tifa was able to complete her mission."

Rufus sighed. "Thank the gods for that!"

"Alright, Rufus, this is it," Cloud said firmly. "The next time you decide to be an idiot and nearly get yourself and the rest of the planet killed, I am _not_ saving your ass again! Forget Jenova, Sephiroth, the Cetra, and everything else that seems to make you forget all the hard lessons you've learned and toss them out the window. I am officially resigning as your errand boy and savior, got it?"

Rufus smirked. "I got it, Cloud."

"And don't even _think_ of going after Genesis and using him as your next man in a tube, either," Cloud warned. "If you go after him, I'll know."

"And I will be forced to prove that I am just as stubborn and cold as Sephiroth when provoked," Genesis warned. "Leave me be and I will do you the same courtesy."

Rufus narrowed his eyes. "Your last reign of terror was quite enough to prove that."

Genesis held his chest slightly. "_My_ reign of terror? Now let's be fair. Sephiroth called a calamity from the sky down upon the world and returned from the dead several times after that and you _still_ kept him alive. If anyone has had a reign of terror over this planet it is in fact the Shinra Company."

Rufus clenched his jaw. "You may have a point."

"You know what, I am just too exhausted to even care at this point," Tifa said. "Rufus, you're an arrogant son of a bitch and I have no problem kicking your ass."

"Now, now, Miss Lockhart," he chastised dryly. "There is no need to bring my mother into this."

She smirked slightly. "I'm not going to miss you as a roommate, Mr. President."

"Nor will I miss you," Rufus returned. "And so we end another collaboration. I trust you will not be offended if I say I hope it will be our last?"

Cloud narrowed his eyes. "I think we are _all_ hoping for that. We're taking Tifa home."

Rufus nodded as he watched the visitors file out of the room, while Elena and Rude moved further into the room to remain with their employer. As Reno turned to leave, Rufus shifted slightly.

"Reno," he called. "May I have a word?"

Reno raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "Sure," he said before looking at Cloud. "I'll catch up with you guys." He closed the door and turned to face Rufus. "What's up?"

"Tseng advised me of your unquestioning cooperation in assisting us in this matter," Rufus said. "It just proves _why_ you became second in command of my Turks. We have had our disagreements over the years and your behavior that led to your termination last year still concerns me. However, your attention in this matter has impressed me…enough to ask you to consider returning to your job with us."

Reno's eyes widened. Rufus was practically admitting he had made a mistake in firing him and was now asking him to return. It was like a dream come true…so why was he unnerved by the prospect of returning to Shinra? Why wasn't his heart soaring at the prospect of returning to the job that had defined him and meant the world to him? He glanced at the people he thought of as his family. Elena was smiling brightly, Rude looked stoic, yet happy in a way that only Rude could achieve, and Tseng looked proud…proud of the second in command that everyone had questioned from the start, except for him.

He finally looked at Rufus before shaking his head. "I…can't, Mr. President."

Rufus raised his eyebrows in surprise. "When I fired you, it appeared as though I had kicked your puppy before killing it. What's changed?"

Reno shrugged and smiled slightly. "_I've_ changed, yo. It's not that I'm not honored to have the offer it's just…I'm happy. I like working at the WRO. I like working with Reeve and finally atoning for my sins. I might not do much, but…it's a start."

Rufus nodded slightly. "We all have to start somewhere, I suppose. If you ever change your mind though, don't hesitate to call me. I guess…I miss you."

Reno smirked jokingly. "Who wouldn't miss me?"

"The secretarial pool at HQ?" Rude suggested.

Reno laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Maybe them."

Rufus smiled the first smile he had since Sephiroth had broken free. "I think even they miss you on some level, Reno." He covered a yawn. "Stay as long as you like, but I may fall asleep."  
Reno shook his head. "I can catch up with you guys later. Sleeping Beauty needs his rest."

Rufus chuckled slightly before closing his eyes. Reno waved to his friends and quietly slipped from the room. He didn't get very far down the hall before hearing his name called. He turned and found Tseng striding towards him purposefully.

"What's up Tseng?" Reno asked.

His former supervisor came to a stop not far from him. "I just wanted to tell you that you did a good job. I never questioned your devotion to us and the fact that you willingly accepted my request for you assistance without any questions proved my faith in you was not misplaced."

"Thank you, Mr. Director," Reno said in a rare moment of honest respect.

Tseng quietly observed his former second in command for a moment. "Did you really mean what you said about atoning for your sins? Because, you were only following orders and no one can fault you for that."

Reno shifted slightly. "I never doubted a thing I did as a Turk, Tseng. We all followed our orders without question because that's what we're supposed to do. But…there are just some things I can't explain away as 'I was just doing my job'."

"You're referring to Sector Seven's destruction," Tseng surmised.

Reno lowered his gaze and nodded. "Yeah."

Tseng nodded. "We're all trying to atone for our pasts. Elena, Rude, and I will do that while guiding Rufus along his path of redemption. You are on your own path now Reno and I just wanted to tell you that…I'm proud of you."

Reno smiled slightly. "Thank you, Tseng."

Tseng nodded before turning and walking back towards Rufus' room.

* * *

Genesis sat back and observed the motley crew of friends from his corner of Seventh Heaven. The world was so different now and he was not used to having the company of others after being isolated for so long. His eyes were constantly drawn to Tifa and Loz. Tifa was probably the strongest person he had ever met. She had a heart that could hold compassion for even the evilest of men and that made her unique. He tilted his head to the side and observed the remnant of Sephiroth. Genesis was probably the only person alive on Gaia that could say he remembered Sephiroth looking like Loz. Most of the world only knew Sephiroth as the cold, poised general of Shinra with hair that inspired countless, wild rumors of how maintained his signature silver locks, yet he had know him since he was young and during that time, Sephiroth actually preferred his hair short. And Loz reminded him so much of Sephiroth before the dark times; the quirk of his lips before a smirk graced his face, the way he laughed, and the underlying arrogance that made Sephiroth who he was.

Tifa had been so young when she had had the misfortune of falling into the battle Genesis and Sephiroth had been engaged in. Had it been earlier in their conflict, she and her town would have faired better. However by the time they had all converged on Nibelheim, Genesis was growing impatient and Sephiroth had lost any compassion he felt for his one-time friend. Instead of pulling him to his side and away from Shinra, Genesis had only succeeded in pushing him further down the path of madness.

"I remember you."

Genesis was surprised from his thoughts by the soft feminine voice addressing him. He looked up and found Yuffie staring down at him where he sat.

"I'm sorry?" he said.

She sat across from him, caring not for his obvious discomfort. "I said, I remember you. You were one of the SOLDIERs who came to Wutai."

He nodded. "I was. I do not seem to remember you though."

She wrinkled her nose and nodded. "I'm glad you don't. I was kind of a brat."

"I think it's fair to say that you had every right to be a brat," Genesis said with a shrug. "After all, we _were_ invading your home."

"I was still very young when you came," she persisted. "I'm the princess of Wutai. Yuffie Kisaragi at your service."

Genesis raised an eyebrow. "The materia thief, yes?"

She beamed brightly. "You bet your ass I am!"

"That's not very princess-like language, your highness," Genesis chided.

"I'm not a conventional kinda princess," she said with a wink.

"I gathered," he said. "I seem to remember your materia kleptomania wreaking havoc upon my men."

"Good," Yuffie said with a pleased smile. It faded slightly as she looked him. "What are you going to do now?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know. Until Vincent appeared in Banora, I was quite pleased to live without a soul knowing I was still alive. Now…my solitude does not hold the same appeal it once did. However, remaining here is not an option. I never liked Midgar and Edge is even _less_ appealing."

"Gawd, you sound like Vincent," Yuffie said as she rolled her eyes. "You should talk to him and see what he thinks. Maybe you two could go moping around together."

"Yuffie, some people may not enjoy your incessant pestering," Vincent said as he sat beside her. "You should take pity on him."

She smirked up at him and kissed his cheek. "Whatever Vincent. Everyone likes my nosiness. It makes me endearing."

Genesis smirked at the interplay between the two. "She was just suggesting I join you for some moping. She seems concerned for my welfare now that I have been drawn out of my solitude."

"It will be a period of adjustment for you, I'm sure," Vincent said thoughtfully. "Where will you go?"

Genesis sighed and shrugged. "I'm not sure. I find myself in the strange position of craving companionship yet I am loath to surround myself with strangers. I am just as infamous as Sephiroth and for no better reasons than he so I cannot simply 'blend in' with the masses."

Vincent nodded. "It is a problem, but nothing you cannot overcome…with the right friends."

Genesis looked around the room and tilted his head. "Friends," he repeated slowly. "It's been a while since I had any friends and to be honest I doubt I would be a good friend anyway."

Vincent smiled slightly. "I used to feel like that too, but not anymore. I just happened to find a group of displaced people trying to find their way in the world. They are the best kind of friends someone like me can have. They know who and what I am, but it doesn't matter. They care enough about me to help me when I need them, but understand that sometimes what I need is to be alone. They trust me enough to ask me for help and I trust them enough to lean on them when I need to with no fear of judgment."

"Yeah," Yuffie said in a rare introspective moment. "None of us really fit in anywhere…except with each other. If you give us a chance, we might be able to do the same thing for you too."

Genesis nodded. "I may consider it. But for now, I think I should take my leave of you."

Tifa noticed him getting to his feet and walking towards the door of the bar. She murmured her excuses to Cloud and Loz before following him out of the bar before he could disappear.

"Genesis?" she said timidly.

He turned at her voice and faced her. "Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Lockhart, but I must be on my way."

Tifa followed him further into the street. "Do you have anywhere to go?"

He turned and looked at her again. "I do."

She nodded and looked at him for a moment. "Thank you for coming here."

He shook his head. "I did nothing. You did all the hard work."

She smiled and shrugged. "You distracted Sephiroth long enough for me to get there before he had a chance to kill Cloud or Loz. That is important to me."

Genesis nodded and turned to go, but thought better of it before turning around. "I must apologize."

Tifa was surprised. "For what?"

"I truly thought that if I was brutally harsh with Sephiroth in Nibelheim, it would push him join me and help me end the degradation my body was suffering," he clarified. "However, it drove him to confirm my accusations and that led to his downfall. It is my fault that your home was destroyed…and that your father was murdered."

"Genesis, you couldn't have known what would happen," Tifa said gently. "I'm sure it's a time you would rather forget, but…my journey to forgive Sephiroth found me poring over research material from both Project S and Project G. What Hollander and Hojo did to you all was horrible and would affect most people negatively. I'm sorry that it happened to any of you."

"Hm," Genesis murmured as he considered her for a moment. "That is the first time anyone has apologized to me for what I was subjected to and even though it had nothing to do with you, it feels…good to have our suffering acknowledged. I think your friend Vincent was right. I may be able to overcome my past…with the right friends."

Tifa smiled and nodded. "We'll be here…should you need us."

He smiled slightly and nodded. "I will remember that, Miss Lockhart."

"Call me Tifa," she said gently. "If you insist on formality between us, I'll have to insist on calling you Commander."

He chuckled softly. "Well, then I shall call you Tifa from now on. And now I must take my leave of you…but I have a feeling we'll see each other again."

She nodded. "Have a safe journey, Genesis."

"Thank you Tifa," he said with a small bow. "I will."

Tifa watched the ex-SOLDIER disappear into the night before re-entering her bar. Barret appeared and hugged her gently.

"I'm gonna head out now, mama," he said gruffly. "Marlene and Denzel are going to be expecting a full report when I return."

"That's my cue to get the Shera warmed up," Cid added before hugging her as well. "I'm glad you're okay, Tifa. I don't know if I could have done what you did today. You're a hell of a woman!"

Tifa smiled. "Thank you, guys. Be careful out there. It looks like a storm is coming."

"My Shera is a tough old girl," Cid assured her with a smirk. "Just like the woman I named her after! Come on Red. You comin'?"

Nanaki nodded, still carrying Cait Sith on his back. "Take care of yourself, Tifa."

"I will," she assured them before waving at them.

"I'll keep the kids until you're settled and I ain't gonna listen to any arguments, girl," Barret said firmly.

"Yes sir," Tifa said as she mockingly saluted him with a smile. She closed the door and looked at the others. "Is anyone staying?"

"I wouldn't leave you!" Yuffie said with a smile. "And that means Vincent's staying too. And before you get all emo on us, Sophie is here too so you don't have to worry about her being lonely."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "You think of everything, don't you?"

She smiled brightly. "I try!"

Tifa rolled her eyes and smiled before looking at Cloud. "Are you going to stay?"

He nodded. "If that's alright with you two."

"Of course," Tifa assured him. "It'll take me a minute to make up the beds, but…"

"Oh no," Cloud said as he gently grabbed her wrist. "We are all grownups. We can make our own beds, Tifa."

"Cloud, it's really no trouble," she insisted.

"Looks like she's going to be stubborn," Cloud said as he looked at Loz.

"I know how to handle this," Loz said with a smirk before lifting her up in his arms.

"Loz! Put me down!" Tifa protested.

"Nope. You are gonna push yourself too hard and you won't heal if you do that," Loz said as he walked up the stairs. "Night guys!"

Vincent got to his feet. "We should all turn in. We've had a long day and we need our rest."

"You two can take my old room," Cloud said with a yawn. "I'm pretty sure Reno is going to appear and he'll want to spend the night, so we'll take the kids' room."

Yuffie nodded. "Thanks Cloud."

"In the morning, I think it may be wise to have a meeting with Reeve and see if there is some way we can implement some sort of protocol that will allow the WRO to oversee Shinra's science department," Vincent said as Yuffie bounded up the stairs.

Cloud nodded. "I agree. We can discuss it tomorrow."

Vincent inclined his head. "Very well. Sleep well, Cloud."

"You know, I may actually be able to do that," he said with a smirk.

* * *

Tifa laughed softly as Loz set her down on the bed as though she may break. "I'm practically healed, Loz. There's no need to be so overly gentle."

He sat beside her on the bed and looked at her, his face serious. "Tifa, I thought I was going to lose you today."

Her smiled faded as she looked at him. "But I'm fine."

He nodded. "I know…but I remember."

"Remember? Remember what?" she asked.

"His thoughts," Loz said quietly. "Sephiroth hated everyone and when I would look at you when he was still in my head…his hatred burned so much that I thought as soon as you handed him his sword, he would kill you without a second thought."

"Me too," Tifa confessed.

"I still can't believe you forgave him," Loz said. "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You were able to forgive me and I'm a part of him."

Tifa nodded and looked at Loz. "You're right. You are a part of him, but you shouldn't keep seeing it as a negative."

"Because being a part of man who wanted to destroy the world is a good thing, right?" he asked with a snort.

Tifa smiled and shook her head. "No. But he wasn't always bad, Loz. He was a good man once upon a time and a lot of his personality reminded me of you."

Loz looked at her skeptically. "Really? Like what?"

"You have a kind heart," she said with a smile as she looked up at him. "But you hide it from people you don't know. You maintain a cool exterior to those you don't know or don't trust. Sephiroth was like that too."

Loz nodded thoughtfully as he lay on his side facing her. "Can you…tell me more about him? You know…before he went crazy?"

She smiled and nodded as he gently pulled her closer against his body. "Of course I can."

* * *

"Aw, I missed the party," Reno said dryly as he closed the door to the bar behind him.

Cloud looked up and smirked. "Yeah and the booze is already locked up so you are out of luck."

Reno laughed and plopped himself down on a stool facing Cloud as he washed the glasses left by their friends. "Well, pass me a cloth and I'll dry, yo."

Cloud handed him a tea towel before piling the clean, wet glasses on the counter. "What did Rufus want?"

"To offer me my job back, man," Reno said. He chuckled at the surprised look on Cloud's face. "I know! That was my reaction too. But Rufus asked me to come back to the Turks."

"Well, congratulations," Cloud said. "When's your first day back?"

Reno set the dried glasses to his right before glancing over at Cloud. "Never."

Cloud stopped his movements and frowned as he looked at Reno. "I don't get it."

Reno shrugged. "I like my job at the WRO."

"But being a Turk was your life," Cloud said.

"I know," Reno said quietly. "But going back felt like I'd be taking a step backwards, ya know? I was serious when I said I wanted to atone for my past sins. After learning that Rufus really didn't learn his lesson and kept Sephiroth, I realized that if I truly want to pay penance for all that I've done, I can't do that at Shinra. The WRO is making a difference. They built up Edge and they're rebuilding Midgar. They're doing good things and I want to be a part of that. I mean, I played a big part in destroying Midgar, so it's only right for me to help fix it."

Cloud smirked slightly. "Wow."

"What?" Reno asked with a frown.

"Genesis returned and helped fight Sephiroth, Vincent is upstairs cuddling with Yuffie and his damn cat, Tifa forgave Sephiroth, Aerith helped him return to the Lifestream, and you are getting all respectable. What is the world coming too?"

Reno smirked. "You forgot to add that you answer your phone, smile more, and are a hell of a lot cooler than you used to be, yo."

Cloud snorted before laughing slightly. "Aerith was right. Everything really is alright now."


	20. Chapter 19: The Promised Land

Author's Note: Because we need more Sephiroth before the end of this story! ;D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Chapter 19: The Promised Land**

Sephiroth's eyes opened slowly. He took a deep breath through his nose and immediately noticed the sweet smell of flowers. A quick glance confirmed he was in a field of delicate white and yellow lilies. He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the two men standing above him, their faces shadowed by the light surrounding them.

"I told you he wouldn't make it without passing out," Zack said.

"Give him a break, puppy," Angeal chastised. "Joining the Lifestream is hard work, especially when you forcefully pushed yourself out of it before."

"Well, he should have thought of that before leaving in the first place!" Zack countered.

"You _know_ he's stubborn," Angeal said with a smirk.

"I hate it when you two talk about me like I'm not even here," Sephiroth said as he pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Would you prefer a hug?" Zack asked with a smile before dropping to his knees beside Sephiroth.

"Absolutely not!" Sephiroth answered quickly, a frown gracing his features.

"Still as twitchy about touching as ever, huh?" Angeal said dryly as he offered Sephiroth his hand.

"Still haven't leashed your puppy?" Sephiroth countered as he allowed Angeal to pull him to his feet.

Angeal smirked. "Where's the fun in that, old friend?"

"It's been a long time since you've called me 'puppy', Seph," Zack said with a smile.

Sephiroth turned and looked at him. "And it's been a long time since anyone has called me 'Seph'."

"Ah, but that's only because you had that whole 'I'm the destroyer of worlds' thing going on there," Zack said with a grin. "That kind of attitude kind of makes you unapproachable you know."

"Too true," Sephiroth acknowledged. "So, what _exactly_ do we do here?"

Angeal smiled. "Whatever you want, Sephiroth."

He frowned and looked at his friends. "Well…what do you two do?"

"We both choose to watch over those we care about," Angeal said.

"I like watching over Cloud," Zack said before smiling. "And watching over Cloud is a full time job. He's quite the little emo and likes to indulge in some self-hate a little too often."

"I have watched over Genesis for a long time," Angeal added.

"So you both watch over those you care about? I haven't cared about anyone in a long time," Sephiroth murmured before turning to face his friends.

Zack looked at Angeal and smiled before looking back at Sephiroth. "You'll remember! It's just like riding a bike."

"I've never ridden a bike, puppy," Sephiroth said.

Zack rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Oh my gods, Seph! Haven't you done anything _normal_ in you life ever?"

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "You know my father is Hojo, right? Normal to me was getting poked, prodded, and injected with the gods know what on a daily basis. I didn't have time to be 'normal'. However, if I were to watch over anyone, it would be my rem…Loz and Tifa."

Angeal nodded approvingly. "Loz is an interesting man to watch over. It's very strange to watch a man considered as much a monster as us negotiate his way through life without using his strength to intimidate those around him. He chooses to blend into the background and ignore any negativity sent his way. Miss Lockhart on the other hand prefers to…physically show the ignorant the error of their ways."

"In other words, she hands really ignorant people their asses on a plate!" Zack said with a smile.

"She would," Sephiroth murmured. He lifted his eyes to Angeal's. "How is Genesis?"

Angeal smiled slightly. Sephiroth and Genesis had always butted heads, but deep down inside both men had cared for each other immensely. When Genesis had been injured in the training room, Sephiroth had volunteered to donate cells and blood immediately, though he hadn't been a match. "He is so very troubled. After Zack's last battle with him, Genesis had been taken back to Hojo and without Hollander to interfere, Hojo conducted experiments on him at will. He escaped soon after, but he, like Cloud, thought it best to withdraw from the world around him after escaping Hojo's clutches. He is alone in that world and we both know a lonely Genesis is a _restless_ Genesis."

Sephiroth smirked. "And a restless Genesis is a bad thing."

Angeal nodded. "Though, I have a feeling that he won't be alone…not anymore."

Sephiroth was quiet for a moment. "How do I…watch people?"

Zack smiled. "It's simple! Just think of the person you want to watch."

Sephiroth nodded and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was able to see Tifa laying on her bed, sleeping. Loz was just leaving the bathroom clothed in his pajamas and covering a yawn. He turned off most of the lights before slowly approaching the bed. He dropped to his knees beside the bed and just stared at Tifa. He folded his arms in front of himself, resting them on the bed before putting his chin on his arms and tilting his head to the side. He sat there watching her sleep for a few moments and smiled slightly. He reached out a hand and gently pushed some errant hair out of her face before Loz pushed himself to his feet and slid into bed beside her, turning off the last light as he settled down beside her.

"He's happy," Sephiroth said quietly. "I was never that happy."

Angeal nodded sympathetically. "No, but everything's different now."

Sephiroth nodded. A thought of Genesis crossed his mind and suddenly the image in front of him melted away and brought up Genesis. He was slowly wandering around the yet to be repaired ruins of Sector Five in Midgar. He seemed so lost as he walked around and looked at the sky, previously covered by the plate that had hung over the slums. He slowed to a halt and frowned before smiling slightly and looking up at the sky.

"I know you're watching me, Angeal," he said softly. "And I'm sure Seph is there too, maybe even the puppy. I'm jealous of you all. You get to see each other again while I'm stuck here…but don't worry about me. I'm not the Gen you remember…and probably despise. I will pay my penance and happily too. After all, if Seph can earn forgiveness, then there is hope for me too." He chuckled softly to himself before resuming his leisurely stroll through the ruins of the slums.

"All we need now is a Loveless quote," Zack said with a smirk.

Genesis seemed to slow down slightly as he again looked up at the starry sky above him. "Even if the morrow is barren of promise, nothing shall forestall my return; to become the dew that quenches the land. To spare the sands, the seas the skies, I offer thee this silent sacrifice," he finished before a smirk curled around his lips. "That was for you, puppy."

Angeal and Sephiroth looked at each other before they both turned and looked at Zack. He sighed and rubbed his eyes before turning to walk away. "I _really_ have to learn when to shut my mouth."

Angeal smiled at Sephiroth. "See? I don't need to leash my puppy. He's very trainable."

Sephiroth nodded slowly as he took Angeal's assertions into consideration. "How about a muzzle?" he finally suggested deadpan.

Only because Angeal knew him as well as he did, could he see the teasing light in Sephiroth's eyes…just as he used to see regularly in their early days as SOLDIERs. "A muzzle? I'll look in to that," he said with a smirk.


	21. Epilogue: Sephiroth, The Guardian Angel

Author's Note: And here's the end of this journey. I have to thank all my reviewers, especially Eclipse Storywriter, Telya (my first reviewer for this story!), and Sephiroth One Winged God. Seriously, all the reviews made me happy and I'm glad everyone liked it! I also want to thank everyone who added this story to their favourites too! And a very special shout out to Shreddie J! She has been reading my unpublished and published fanfiction for a LONG time and she helped me by reading over all the chapters. So, enjoy the epilogue! :D

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm paid nothing, so please don't sue me! :)

* * *

**Forgiveness**

**Epilogue: Sephiroth, The Guardian Angel**

Tifa smiled and waved to Denzel and Marlene as they both hurried on to the yellow school bus. She turned and looked up Loz, who was already smiling down at her.

"You have a good day today," she said with a smile as she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

"I will," he promised as he hugged her tightly. "I'll see you just after five and have fun shopping with Yuffie."

She nodded. "Oh, I always do," she said with a smile. She stood and watched him walk down the street until he disappeared around the corner.

Tifa turned and began walking back towards Seventh Heaven. As she walked, she smiled to herself noticing the smell of plant life in the air once more. Since Sephiroth's return to the Lifestream, vegetation began to crop up around the world…even in Edge and New Midgar. None of the cities had plates hanging above them precariously anymore so the sun, which was showing itself more frequently, was able to reach the lands that were once barren. Even the Wastelands had random spots of grass popping up.

She was pulled from her thoughts when he cell phone rang. She saw Yuffie's number and smiled. "I'm heading back to the bar as we speak."

"Thank the gods!" Yuffie complained. "Vinnie's gone to Banora to check up on Genesis and I am _so_ bored!"

"Didn't he _just_ leave this morning with Cloud?" Tifa asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but I miss him!" Yuffie whined. "Between the crappy errands he's been running between Reeve in New Midgar, Professor Howarth in Gongaga, and Genesis in Banora, I hardly ever see him! And on top of helping the WRO town restoration team rebuilding Banora, he and Genesis have gotten to know each other and he's found a fellow moper! I mean, you thought Cloud was bad, but those two are like moping _champions_!"

"Are you jealous of Genesis?" Tifa teased.

"Hell yeah!" Yuffie said fiercely. "He sees my boyfriend more than I do!"

Tifa chuckled and shook her head. "Well, you could always ask Reeve to assign you to the team that will be rebuilding Banora so you can go with Vincent on the trips that make you lose you mind like this."

"What? Are you crazy?" Yuffie exclaimed. "And have everyone think I'm some crazy-ass needy girlfriend?"

"Yuffie, I hate to tell you this, but you _are_ a crazy-ass needy girlfriend," Tifa said with a smirk as she unlocked the front door of Seventh Heaven.

"Well, yeah, but that doesn't mean I want to advertise it!" she said before laughing.

Tifa shook her head. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready for shopping."

"I'll give you thirty minutes," Yuffie said happily. "I actually haven't even gotten dressed yet. I was too busy being a crazy-ass needy girlfriend. Later!"

Tifa shook her head and closed the phone before sliding it into her pocket. She closed and locked the door of the bar before turning around. She stopped suddenly when she saw a man sitting at the bar.

"Are you just going to stare at me or are you going to come in?" he asked, the rich baritone voice jarring her from her stupor.

She frowned as she slowly walked closer to the bar before walking around the other side and forcing herself to meet the familiar cat-like eyes of the silver-haired man before her.

"Sephiroth?" she whispered shakily. She took a moment to take in his appearance. His tall boots and black leather pants were still in place, but instead of his heavy leather coat, he was wearing a black button-up shirt with his wing resting on his shoulder. She did quirk an eyebrow when she noticed he still managed to show a borderline obscene amount of his chest as always.

"Don't worry," he assured her as he straightened his back. "I'm not here for any malicious purpose."

"Then why are you here?" she asked with a confused frown.

Sephiroth got to his feet and slowly walked around the bar until he was standing only inches away from her. His eyes narrowed as he took in her rigid posture and the fear she refused to acknowledge, yet radiated off her body.

"I'm…sorry," he said quietly.

Tifa's eyes widened as she looked at the one-winged angel in front of her. "What?"

"I'm sorry…for everything," he said before turning his head. "My words cannot give you the comfort you need and they cannot undo all the wrongs that I have committed, but after what you did for me…it was the least I _could_ do." He turned and walked a few feet away from her. "My head is clear and my heart…I actually _have_ a heart. My heart bears the burden of my mistakes, yet I am happy to bear it."

Tifa slowly approached Sephiroth and moved around him so she was again looking into his eyes. "I really am sorry for what happened to you at the hands of your father. My father was so kind and loving that I really can't understand how Hojo could do the things he did to you."

"I thought…because I was created from hundreds of failed monsters and experiments that I too was a monster," he said. "But I know the real monsters were Hollander, Hojo, and Jenova. What made me a monster was my own weakness and anger."

"I know that now too," Tifa said softly.

"Just how _did_ you learn everything you did?" he asked as he narrowed his eyes and raised an eyebrow.

She blushed slightly and looked away. "Rufus gave me access to the research records of both Hollander and Hojo along with the field logs you kept…and some of your personal logs as well."

Sephiroth shook his head. "The Shinras really _will_ keep anything of mine, won't they?" He reached out and gently turned her face towards his. "Don't be embarrassed…I'm not." He again stepped away from her and let his gaze travel around her empty bar. "They were written by a man I thought was dead, but it turns out he was just a prisoner of his own anger."

Tifa watched Sephiroth and tilted her head to the side. He was just like the man who had arrived in Nibelheim all those years ago and nothing like the man who had destroyed Nibelheim. It was strange…yet comforting to see him like that.

"What will you do now?" Tifa asked.

He smirked as he looked over his shoulder at her and flexed his wing. "Earn the title 'angel', of course."

"And how will you do that?" Tifa asked warily.

"The same way Aerith, Zack, and Angeal have," he said as he again stepped closer to her. "By being a guardian to those left here. If you or Loz ever need me…I'll be waiting."

"_You're_ our guardian angel?" Tifa asked in disbelief.

Sephiroth smiled slightly. "It's the least I can do."

"Sephiroth?"

Tifa and Sephiroth both turned to find Aerith standing beside them, light radiating from behind her as she smiled at them both.

"Aerith?" Tifa asked in disbelief.

The brunette smiled happily. "You did a fantastic job, Tifa. I knew you could do it."

Tifa folded her arms across her chest and smirked. "I'm glad _one_ of us had faith in me!"

"You have a heart like no other," Aerith said before looking at Sephiroth. "It's time to return."

He inclined his head before looking down at Tifa again. "I meant what I said. If you need me, just call." She nodded as she watched him turn and walk towards Aerith, but he stopped before turning and smirking at her. "And keep taking care Loz. He's my favorite parts of myself."

Tifa smiled slightly and nodded. "He'll be safe with me."

"I know," Sephiroth said before turning and following Aerith into the light.

Tifa looked up at the ceiling and smiled. "Take care of him Angeal and Zack…he missed you both."

She sighed before leaving the bar and walking up the stairs to the apartment above. The world was finally getting back on the right track and everything was going to be all right.


End file.
